Dr. Mindy Brashears, the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. addressed delegates gathered in Cleveland, Ohio, USA for the 51st session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene.

Brashears emphasized in her welcome address that with food safety policies being constantly updated, such meetings were important “to help foster partnerships that can lead to modernization and new policies for food safety and international food standards”.

Dr. Mindy Brashears, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture addresses CCFH51

The deputy under secretary underlined shared priorities and how delegates can cohesively and strategically work together on global food safety standards. “We have all seen in our respective nations how allergens, HACCP implementation, biological outbreaks and STEC testing can impact food safety and prevent foodborne illness”, she said.

A multi-talented group of diverse experts.

“We all represent a multi-talented group of diverse and talented experts, but this is not enough. Pathogens are evolving and technology is advancing. Now that we have secured a place to share our scientific voices, I challenge everyone here to work with one hand and use the other to pull another up and coming expert up so that this great work and span of knowledge will be ongoing for years and decades to come”, she said.

Brashears reframed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s motto and called on CCFH51 delegates to “Do right and feed everyone…safely.”

Did you know?

The CCFH51 agenda includes discussions on critical food safety matters including a draft code of practice on food allergen management, a revision of the General Principles of Food Hygiene and its HACCP Annex, proposed draft guidance for the management of biological foodborne outbreaks, and draft guidelines for the control of STEC in beef, raw milk and cheese produced from raw milk, leafy greens and sprouts.

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Follow CCFH51 documents online via the meeting webpage