At midnight on 7 September 2021 the deadline passed for Codex Members to express their agreement that the Codex Alimentarius Commission could hold its forty-fourth session virtually and proceed with elections for the appointment of new officers. With 135 of the 126 preferences required, countries have once again endorsed the move to meet virtually to address priority matters. Voting will be conducted by appointment, through a physical secret ballot in Geneva, following the modality adopted by the recent FAO Conference for [...]

By Gyanendra Gongal    Regional Advisor (Food safety) WHO Regional Office for South East Asia Bhutan, India and Nepal have been implementing a Codex Trust Fund (CTF) group project since 2019. One of the major challenges the project is addressing is limited technical knowledge and expertise to run a functional National Codex Committee and participate actively in the Codex standard setting process. Nepal has been facing challenges to meet requirements for the export of indigenous agri products such as ginger [...]

The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR)wrapped up its 52nd session advancing new Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for spices, seeds, fruits, and other commodities to the 44th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC44). These limits for pesticide residues in food are established by Codex based on a risk assessment and limits for safe intake set by an FAO/WHO international expert scientific group named Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). Gracia Brisco, the Food Standards Officer in the Codex [...]

A webinar held on 21 July 2021 gave countries an update on plans for the 44th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC44) scheduled for November 2021 and the procedures currently being developed by the Codex Secretariat, together with FAO and WHO, that are expected to be presented to the Membership for endorsement similar to the approach taken for the first virtual CAC in 2020. Speaking at the event attended by over 150 participants, Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt said that before holding a virtual [...]

More than 300 delegates gathered virtually for the opening of the 25th session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF), hosted by the United States of America, which will run from 12 to 16 July 2021. Chairperson Kevin Greenlees welcomed the opportunity the virtual environment made allowing the committee to become more inclusive then ever with such high numbers of participants. CCRVDF will look at proposed draft maximum residue limits (MRLs) for various veterinary drugs, and [...]

The Codex Trust Fund Secretariat in collaboration with the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA) and the FAO and WHO Regional Offices for Africa held a highly engaging webinar on 5 July 2021 with a focus on the use of the FAO/WHO Diagnostic Tool for assessing status of National Codex Programmes. The Tool is key to determining strengths and weaknesses at country level and the results help identify areas for capacity development. Over 50 participants attended online both from CCAFRICA and [...]

The strategic planning sub-committee of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission met virtually on 1 July 2021. One of the tasks of the group is to consider how Codex can contribute to and achieve recognition for its key food standards work in the actions of its Members in relation to global and UN initiatives such as the UN Food Systems Summit. Over 50 participants attending online were briefed on proposals of relevance to the Codex mandate currently being considered [...]

The Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) traditionally holds a week of working groups before its plenary meeting. These technical sessions ensure that one of the core Codex texts, the General Standard for Food Additives (GFSA) is up-to-date in describing the conditions under which food additives may be used in foods and that the additives provisions of the commodity standards align with it, making the GSFA the single reference point for food additives in the Codex Alimentarius. The group met virtually [...]

The first virtual session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS), hosted online by Australia from 31 May to 8 June 2021,discussed and recommended for adoption at the next Codex Alimentarius Commission, a draft guidance document on Paperless Use of Electronic Certificates. When governments adopt CCFICS standards, they support fair trading practices, protect the health of consumers, and reduce food degradation and waste in international trade. Erik Bosker is Senior Policy Advisor at the Ministry [...]

Speaking at the opening session of the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (G20-MACS) on the role of science, technology and innovation in sustainable food systems to increase food security and enhance food safety, FAO Chief Scientist Ismahane Elouafi underlined the opportunity 2021 presented to design a better agri-food system. “It is a really critical year that we are thinking at the system level,” she told delegates meeting virtually under the G20 Presidency of Italy in a two-day event from 15 to [...]