In opening remarks to the 82nd session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, taking place virtually from 20-24 June 2022, Maria-Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General FAO recalled the vital role science-based analytical tools and normative work play in providing support to countries, especially in response to the worsening global food security situation due to the pandemic, disasters, conflict and climate change. Maria-Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General FAO “The work you oversee here in the Executive Committee is a key part of [...]

Veraliment, a professional training and food safety culture organization, held its fourth annual virtual event for World Food Safety Day in a live webinar. The event aimed to raise awareness about the mission of all professionals in the food sector to protect the lives of the millions of people who eat every day. Numerous actors from the food sector participated, both directly and in deferred interviews. “Scientific knowledge will guide us in how to anticipate and prepare for future challenges” stressed [...]

The General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA), of the Ministry of Health (MINSA), culminated its week of educational World Food Safety Day activities with a "Walk and informative fair to raise awareness about the importance of food safety", which began at the DIGESA facilities and ended at the Pedro Ruiz Gallo Park in the District of Lince in Lima, Peru. Various organizations involved in this important issue met at the DIGESA facilities to start the walk, in which, [...]

By Hakim Mufumbiro Regional Coordinator for the African Region A total of 12 Member States within the SADC - Southern African Development Community (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe) as well as the SADC Secretariat participated virtually in an online training on the Codex Electronic Working Group Platform and Online Commenting System from 25 to 27 May 2022, as one of the capacity building activities to enhance the skills and knowledge of stakeholders in [...]

The Codex Coordinating Committee for the Near East (currently coordinated by Saudi Arabia) reports on several official World Food Safety Day events from around the region this year. Here’s a roundup:   Saudi Arabia In a video address, Hisham Al-Jadhey, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA), stated that “the world is celebrating World Food Safety Day, and is currently facing the impact of food supply chains, and the increasing burden of foodborne diseases indicates that diseases transmitted through food cause 600 [...]

On 9 June 2022, the European Union (EU) held a working group on international food and agricultural question and Codex Alimentarius. This meeting was a follow-up to the Council conclusions on the participation of the European Union in the Codex Alimentarius adopted by the EU’s agriculture ministers on 21 February 2022. This meeting marked the return to face-to-face exchanges in Brussels between delegates of the EU Member States, the General Secretariat of the Council and the European Commission, after two years [...]

A mission will take place in Mongolia from 20 to 27 June, 2022 to assess the national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance system in the food and agriculture sectors. This activity is part of the new AMR Codex Texts (ACT) project “Implementation of Codex standards to support containment and reduction of foodborne antimicrobial resistance”, supported by the Government of Korea. FAO has developed the “FAO Assessment Tool for Laboratories and Antimicrobial resistance Surveillance Systems (FAO-ATLASS)“ in order to support countries in assessing [...]

On 10 June, the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the WHO Regional Office for Europe hosted a World Food Safety Day webinar about the past, present and future of food safety. The event was moderated by Mary Kenny, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and Peter Sousa Hoejskov, Technical Officer for Food Safety and Zoonotic Diseases, WHO Regional Office for Europe, and guests included Džemil Hajrić, Director, Food Safety [...]

The Escola Dom Cipriano Chagas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in collaboration with PANAFTOSA-VPH-PAHO/WHO launched an awareness campaign to mark the World Food Safety Day last 2nd of June. The School is part of the Favela Orgânica initiative that originated in the Babilônia and Chapéu Mangueira communities in Rio de Janeiro. This initiative aims at teaching children concepts for conscious consumption, healthy gastronomy, homemade composting and family farming. The celebration included lectures on food safety and the five keys for [...]

The Salvadoran Agency for Technical Regulation (OSARTEC), an institution that is part of the National Quality Council, responsible for coordinating the participation of El Salvador in the development of International Food Standards emanating from the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, in celebration of the World Day of Food Safety, carried out a sports event, under the motto "Safe food, better health". This activity was carried out thanks to the support of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Trust Fund, the PAHO/WHO Representation in El [...]