The Sultanate of Oman declares its commitment to Codex and to international standards and guidelines for food safety and quality in a video recently released as part of the country’s celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius. The country has been a Codex Member for over 50 years and has actively participated in the development of global standards and in particular has played an active role in regional initiatives such as the Arab Codex initiative and the Gulf Cooperation [...]

The Environmental/Occupational Health and Safety Directorate of Lagos State Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Lagos State Safety Commission of Lagos State Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations marked World Food Safety Day with the theme "Food Standards Save Lives" at Mile 12 International Market, the largest market of fresh farm produce in sub-Saharan Africa. As a relevant stakeholder in the food industry, a food safety advocate and “acclaimed food evangelist”, Rasaq Oke of FOODDOTCOMACADEMY SERVICES was invited to [...]

The food safety training organization, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Academy Nigeria (HAN) spent the week of World Food Safety Day taking their expertise to the grassroots and raising awareness about good hygiene practices in various contexts. For seven days, HAN experts talked with producers, vendors and consumers about avoiding food safety hazards. On day one of their World Food Safety Day campaign, the team visited a farm where they advised on good practices in crop production and about [...]

Dr Ailan Li, Assistant Director-General, WHO, opened the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from 10-14 July 2023, calling on governments to ensure that food meets safety standards to guarantee the basic human right of people to enjoy access to safe, nutritious and healthy food. Codex sets standards based on a rigorous and inclusive scientific process with the support of FAO and WHO. Li said: “Food standards save lives. When food standards are implemented, people [...]

In April 2023 the Peruvian General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety - DIGESA, organized a ceremony and conferences the celebrate the 60th anniversary of Codex. Staff at DIGESA celebrate the Codex 60th anniversary in Peru. Those taking part included Jorge Villena Chávez, former Director General of DIGESA, who initiated Codex work in Peru and was also their first national Codex Chairperson.   Learn more about the event (Spanish) Photo credit Main photo Jorge Villena Chávez with Libia Carlota Liza Quesquén from the Codex Contact [...]

As part of the celebrations for the Codex 60th anniversary, the Codex Secretariat has been gathering memories and stories from delegations attending committees in 2023. During the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues which took place in Beijing, China from 26 June to 1 July 2023, the Secretariat was able to capture the views of three different Codex Members and a member of the invaluable interpretation team. Here are their stories.   Karsten Hohgardt, Germany    Warren Hughes, New Zealand    Steven Mines, Interpreter    Noemi Kiss, Hungary      Learn more Catch up on [...]

The FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO) co-hosted a World Food Safety Day webinar on 28 June to address the linkages between One Health and food safety. Welcome remarks were given by Raimund Jehle, Regional Programme Leader, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, who said: “Food safety authorities have long worked to manage food safety issues through a set of key principles including a risk-based approach, applying controls from [...]

To mark World Food Safety Day 2023, FAO Pakistan organized activities ranging from a radio talk show and an awareness walk to seminars targeting students, farmers, and the general community. The walk, which took place on 7 June 2023 in Islamabad, brought almost 80 key stakeholders to march in solidarity and show commitment to collective action to prevent foodborne illnesses. “We wanted to highlight the crucial role of food safety in protecting public health and promoting sustainable development. This walk helped [...]

The Ministry of Health of Peru (MINSA), through the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) and in conjunction with the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, through the National Agrarian Health Service of Peru (SENASA) as well as the Ministry of Production, through the National Agency for Fisheries Health (SANIPES) organized an "Educational Day for World Food Safety Day in Peru" in June. The virtual event took place via the Zoom Platform and was aimed at the [...]

As part of the “Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT)” project, Mongolia is actively enhancing its collaboration efforts to combat foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A delegation from the FAO visited the country on 12-14 June 2023 to gather information on how the project is advancing.   “According to some global studies, the potential economic cost of antimicrobial resistance is comparable to the global financial shocks of 2008-2009. I commend the action of the Government of Mongolia in containing foodborne [...]