Would you like to know more about how to strengthen the food safety system in your country? The growing population worldwide, the increase in food demand, the consequent growth of the food industry, added to global health risks, demonstrate the importance of incorporating food safety into national policies and strengthening the food safety systems. Foodborne diseases generate great impacts on the health of the population.   The Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency of Ecuador (AGROCALIDAD), as the base of the FAO/WHO Coordinating [...]

Les champions qualité, les membres du Codex Forum national et les représentants d’autres organisations impliquées dans le contrôle de la qualité viennent, avec l’appui de la FAO au Burundi, d’être formés et sensibilisés du 24 au 25 aout 2022 sur les activités menées par le Codex Alimentarius au niveau international, régional et national afin d’obtenir leur adhésion. Cette activité a été suivi par une réunion du groupe technique de travail pour l’opérationalisation et la mise en œuvre du Manuel de [...]

The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa opened virtually from Kampala, Uganda on Monday 5 September 2022. In opening remarks, Hon. Ms. Harriet Ntabazi, State Minister for Trade, Uganda, called for harmonization of food safety standards across the continent. “If we merge as Africa and talk one language, if we concretize our standards together then the level of competitiveness as a continent will grow … in other markets.” Hon. Mrs. Margaret Muhanga Mugisha, State Minister for Primary Health Care, welcomed nearly 200 [...]

On 5 August 2022 the President of Liberia George Weah signed into law a series of bills. The official Facebook page of the Liberia Presidency and government websites describe the measures as a spur to national inclusiveness and to fight corruption. Amongst the bills signed is “an Act to Establish the Liberia Standards Authority.”  Stephen Mambu, Codex Contact Point for Liberia said, “Liberia now has a national standardization body known as the Liberia Standards Authority (LiSA). As part of this legislation, [...]

On 19 and 21 July, El Salvador and Guatemala celebrated the launch of the group Codex Trust Fund project “Food safety and the Codex Alimentarius: impact on productivity and public health in El Salvador and Guatemala.” The launch took place in the presence of the Minister for the Economy (MINEC) and President of the National Quality Council, María Luisa Hayem Brevé, the Director of the Salvadoran Agency for Technical Regulation (OSARTEC), Zaida Guzmán, Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt, and Vice President [...]

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), organized a Regional Meeting on Food Safety Regulation Convergence from 18 to 22 July 2022 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The meeting was attended by Codex Contact Point Officers, National Plant Health Protection Officers, Chief Veterinary Officers, Private Sector Representatives and other experts from fifteen ECOWAS Member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote [...]

By Maryann Kindiki Codex Contact Point, Kenya (pictured left) The Codex Contact Point in Kenya in collaboration with the FAO Country Office held a national food safety workshop in Nairobi, Kenya on 20 July 2022 with the objective of building a solid collaboration between public and private sector towards achieving food safety at national level. The workshop was graced by the presence of FAO Country Representative for Kenya, Carla Mucavi (pictured second left). The engagements at the workshop were through panel discussions [...]

On July 13, 2022, Nailya Karsybekova, Regional Coordinator for Europe, arranged a meeting with Codex contact persons of the post-Soviet countries - Central Asia, the Caucasus, Ukraine, and Russia. Those in attendance carried out an analysis of the work for the entire period of Kazakhstan’s coordination since August 2017 and discussed achievements, lessons learned, an arsenal of new tasks, and proposed solutions. Participating countries also discussed the current work of Codex at the national level, and the importance of countries taking an [...]

By Shalini Neeliah Codex Contact Point, Mauritius In 2020, when we signed the project document for the Codex Trust Fund Assistance, we knew we were in for a deep dive.  As a developing country, we had a relatively new Codex structure, but we were very keen to improve it so that we fulfill all our obligations as a World Trade Organization member.  Participation in Codex meetings was still sporadic, depending largely on the funding of the Codex Trust Fund (CTF).  As a [...]

Opening the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR), being held virtually from 4-8 July 2022 , Chief Veterinary Officer LI Jinxiang from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China, said: “The work of the CCPR not only has a significant influence on the development of national pesticide residue standards, but also plays an increasingly important role in strengthening the exchanges and cooperation in pesticide residue control.” He looked forward to a productive meeting where delegates [...]