To consolidate its national Codex structures and to increase its participation in international food standards drafting at the level of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Mauritius has been filing for assistance from the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) since 2012. In 2020, Mauritius was successful in its application and was the sole country in the African region to benefit from CTF funding. Mauritius’ CTF project will run activities geared towards building a strong and sustainable national Codex structure, with the ultimate aim of increasing the country’s participation in the work of Codex. Established by FAO and WHO, the CTF provides support to eligible developing and transition economy countries to consolidate national Codex systems thus enabling countries to fully and effectively participate in Codex.

On 29 June 2023, an official launching ceremony was organized by the Codex Contact Point in Mauritius, in collaboration with the WHO country office in Mauritius. To mark the event, the Codex Mauritius website and advocacy materials for raising awareness on the importance of Codex standards were also launched by the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, in the presence of the WHO representative to Mauritius, Dr Anne Ancia.

Mr Gobin highlighted the importance of ensuring food safety from farm to fork. He also emphasized the importance of harmonizing local regulations with the Codex standards: “it is in the interest of both the food producers and traders to comply with Codex standards to ensure that consumers trust the safety and quality of food products”. He further called upon the members of the National Codex Committee (NCC) to work together so as to collectively apply Codex standards in Mauritius for ensuring food safety.

On the other hand, Dr Ancia, elaborated on the risks of consuming unsafe food. She stated that an estimated 600 million people, almost 1 in 10, fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year. She also pinpointed that food safety issues could significantly affect the socio-economic development of a country. “Hence, the need for regular inspection is primordial”, she said. Dr Ancia reiterated the commitment of WHO to ensuring food safety globally.

Further to the launching of the CTF project, four workshops were organized. An orientation workshop for NCC members and a validation workshop for finalizing a draft Codex procedural manual, among other documents, were conducted from 11 to 14 July 2023. A half-day advocacy workshop for senior officials and orientation sessions for the staff of the Codex Contact Point and National Codex secretariat were held on 18 and 19 July 2023 respectively.

These workshops and training sessions were facilitated by the international consultant and former Codex chairperson, Mr Sanjay Dave.

Photo © Ministry of Agro Industry, Food Production & Security, Mauritius