Mr. LEI Haichao, Vice Minister of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, opened the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), taking place from 27-31 March 2023, in China Hong Kong SAR. In underlining the great importance the Chinese government has always attached to food safety, the Vice Minister highlighted how the committee had served as a communication platform for countries and international organizations to exchange views on the management of food additives. [...]

The Codex Committee on Food Additives is renown for its physical working groups that lead up to the full plenary which beings on Monday 27 March, 2023. These groups carry out the groundwork for the topics the full committee will then need to focus on. Ahead of the first Friday session, the Codex Secretariat managed to speak to two of the experts who lead this work. Paul Honigfort, United States of America is Chairperson of the physical working group on the [...]

As delegates gather in Hong Kong for the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA53), which runs from 27-31 March 2023, Chairperson FAN Yongxiang, China, sat down with the Codex Secretariat to look ahead to the meeting. What will it be like returning to a physical meeting? I believe all delegates are keen to meet in person after three years of virtual discussion and the challenges of meeting across different time zones. We have to admit that physical meetings [...]

In Timor Leste a four-day mock Codex committee session has taken place this week as part of training to help the country’s Codex representatives understand how Codex works and how to participate effectively in Codex sessions. The training is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the Timor Leste Codex Trust Fund (CTF) project. Timor Leste is the newest Member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The mock session saw the supposed 3rd session of the Codex Committee on [...]

Representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reviewed the progress and priorities of the project “Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT)” at a consultation meeting earlier this March.   Attending the session, Tom Heilandt, Codex Secretary, said: "We are happy to implement the ACT project with the support from the Government of Korea. This year Codex is turning 60. This project is one of the [...]

The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) met virtually on 15 March 2023 to successfully adopt the report of the session, sending the “Standard for Follow-Up Formula for Older Infants and Product for Young Children” for final adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in November this year. The Chairperson of CCNFSDU Anja Brönstrup, Germany, congratulated the committee on its work, the milestones achieved and the special willingness amongst delegates to complete topics some of which, such [...]

By Lusibilo Witson MWAMAKAMBA WHO The African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) held a successful webinar on 23rd February 2023 in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA). The webinar was held on the heels of the recently concluded African Union Year of Nutrition, 2022 and highlighted the inextricable links between food safety and nutrition to achieve optimal health [...]

The Salvadoran Agency for Technical Regulation (OSARTEC), Codex El Salvador Contact Point, held a workshop on 20 February 2023 to plan the 2023 National Codex Programme.   Read the news on the OSREATEC web site in English and in Spanish Photo credit ©OSRATEC

This International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023, the UN is calling on governments, activists and the private sector alike to power on in their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable. The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), taking place in Duesseldorf, Germany from 7 to 10 March has much to celebrate with women the focus of a hugely successful start to the session. The first day of discussion saw the [...]

The World Food Safety Day 2023 campaign has started today, with the theme “Food standards save lives”. The theme coincides with the 60th anniversary of Codex Alimentarius this year and encourages food safety advocates around the world to focus on the importance of applying standards in every aspect of food production - from the source to the table. The launch saw the publication of this year’s guide in all six UN languages, which provides information on the theme and Codex Alimentarius, [...]