By KEMBOU Etienne, Technical Officer Food Safety and Nutrition, WHO Multi-Country Assignment Teams (MCAT);Dr LAOUALI ABDOU Aissatou and RABO Souleymane, Food Safety and Nutrition Team WHO Country Office Niger;DIOFFO Salou, Codex Contact Point, Ministry of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs Niger As a prelude to the commemoration of World Food Safety Day 2024, thirty people, including representatives of administrative sectors, Civil Society Organizations, technical and financial partners and academics, were briefed on the organization, institutional structure, functioning, roles and [...]

Is it possible to predict the future? This is a question that has always fascinated mankind, giving rise to myths, stories and legends about possible ways of doing it and its possible consequences. While today no one can predict the future, we can prepare for different possibilities by looking at early signs of change, using a foresight approach. And this is of the utmost importance in our increasingly complex agrifood systems. This edition of the Codex podcast highlights how, through its [...]

The 55th session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR55) is meeting this week, with more than 250 delegates attending the session physically in Chengdu, People's Republic of China. Mr Xingwang ZHANG, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, opened the meeting, and welcomed participants by commending the continuous support the Committee and the host country have received from all delegates since 2006. “China introduced a series of major initiatives in [...]

The International Symposium on Food Safety and Control, which concluded yesterday, 31 May, in Vienna, Austria, provided a forum for information sharing on cutting edge research and developments in the application of nuclear technologies for food safety and control. The event also offered networking opportunities between the public and private sectors and the chance to define future research needs and directions. The symposium included seven sessions, which addressed several topics, from chemical residues and contaminants in food and feed, to One [...]

The report on the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety was presented at WHA77 showing the progress made all over the world in the first two years after the adoption of the strategy. Different activities are ongoing with support from WHO to strengthen national food safety systems improving accountability from national authorities and protecting consumers health. Here are some highlights. WHO, together with partners, has made progress in assessing food control systems and developing implementation and advocacy tools [...]

The 33rd session of the Coordinating Committee for Europe has concluded in a spirit of collaboration and agreement on some core issues relevant to the region. In winding up the session, Chairperson Anne Beutling reviewed some of the week’s achievements and said: “I hope that CCEURO33 has helped you make new contacts, and that with that these contacts you’ve made, the coordination and harmonization will further intensify until we meet again." A number of countries congratulated Germany on hosting a successful [...]

The National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt commemorated the sixth World Food Safety Day this year in on 29 and 30 May. As part of NFSA efforts to be active and collaborative on a regional level, the event marked the NFSA’s launch of its Egyptian Global Food Safety Symposium (EGFoSS) in the presence of H.H Ali Meselhy, Minister of Supply and experts and industry professionals in the field of food safety and agricultural industries from [...]

This year, 30 May marks the first ever observance of International Day of Potato, which is facilitated, at the request of the United Nations General Assembly, by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Day was marked by a special event hosted at FAO headquarters and online, under the theme of “Fundamental role of the potato value chain in global food security.” The event highlighted the significance of this important staple food, which, over the course of [...]

The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project has conducted a pilot exercise in Nepal to assess the country’s legislation as it pertains to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Use (AMU) in the country. The exercise involved an assessment tool, known as the ACT Tool, that helps to identify the strengths in a country’s legislation relevant to AMR and AMU, as well as aspects of legislation that could be improved. This tool [...]

By: Maryann Kindiki- CCP, Kenya Kenya is in top gear in its preparations for World Food Safety Day 2024. On 30 April the national planning committee convened to engage media for a briefing on the theme of this year’s World Food Safety Day commemoration. This is aimed at guiding the media on the theme to ensure informed reporting. The planning committee is chaired by the Ministry of Health and comprises government agencies, academia and research, private sector alliances and associations, media and [...]