A productive session at the Codex Committee for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables as four standards are sent for adoption to the next Codex Alimentarius Commission in July. “These hopefully soon to be adopted standards for kiwifruit, garlic, ware potatoes and yam represent a milestone in international standard setting activities", said Alfonso Guati Rojo, Chairperson of the committee. Rojo also saluted the hard work by delegates:  “Consensus is key for developing Codex standards”, he said and “in Mexico we will include this principle in our new quality infrastructure legislation". Dorian Lafond, International Standards Coordinator at USDA said: “With consensus, different countries feel part of something. It gives at the same time responsibility and ownership of the standard to the people who have developed it".

📽 | Dorian Lafond, International Standards Coordinator @USDA, on the achievements of #CCFFV21 #CodexFamily🧡 pic.twitter.com/Qt4cI0aivb

— Codex Alimentarius (@FAOWHOCodex) October 11, 2019

<script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> “Today people are asking for good food, but even more for safe food”, said Suresh Malhotra from the Ministry of Agriculture of India. “But safe food can be ensured only if we have international standards like Codex standards that are meant to protect consumer health.” Malhotra gave the example of potatoes that are cultivated and produced in more than a hundred countries, and with the new Codex standard for ware potatoes “we will be able to address food safety issues properly while ensuring fair practices in trade", he said. Read more about the work of CCFFV