The Codex Committee on Food Additives, gathered for its 51st session in Jinan, China, agreed on 27 March on the priority list of substances for Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) to evaluate. This list will be forwarded to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is expected to endorse. Plenary session of CCFA51 - Jinan, China Around 100 substances – flavours, enzymes, sweeteners, thickeners, emulsifiers, colorants and more – which were proposed by Codex Member countries, were put on the priority [...]

As the Codex food additives meeting continues in Jinan, China, we spoke to FAO Senior Food Safety Officer Markus Lipp about the need and use for additives in food and who decides if they are safe. What do food additives do? Food additives are substances that have a specific function. For example, they make the food safer by preventing microbiological spoilage, they can be used to colour food or make the flavour, smell, taste, even texture more appealing. Some additives are [...]

Bordeaux, France 16-17 March 2019 Chairing a Codex meeting requires a particular skill set. The experts chosen by host governments of committees need to be able to manage, lead, plan, negotiate and communicate effectively, all this in the intense environment of an international meeting attended by delegates from the 188 Codex Member countries and 229 observer organisations. The Codex Secretariat organises regular training courses for chairs and the 2019 session was particular timely as the current cycle of meetings will see eight [...]

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) began a week-long session on Monday 11 March 2019 to discuss consolidating and updating technical guidance documents that will allow for a more current and coordinated approach to assessing microbiological hazards in food. The information provided by risk assessments helps the food industry and governments better understand and control these hazards so that food is safe for consumers. Assessing the risks associated with microbiological hazards in foods, which can occur at [...]

Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) Delegates from nearly 60 countries are meeting in Bordeaux, France from 11 to 15 March 2019 to discuss the procedural and general matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. “The effectiveness of Codex as a whole depends on how this committee covers these crucial issues”, said Sandrine Gaudin, Adviser for European Affairs, Prime Minister’s Private Office, France. The CCGP is a powerful, cross-cutting tool and “it must be a laboratory of innovation serving the entire working [...]

As about 1,000 participants from over 50 countries gathered for the 18th edition of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference, World Food Safety Day (7 June) received strong endorsements. The delegates - food safety experts and decision makers from both the private and public sector - were invited to celebrate the recently proclaimed UN day as part of their collaborative efforts to drive improvement in food safety management systems globally.   📽️ | "Let me tell you a story..."Listen to the [...]

Medicated feed is one important route for administering veterinary medicinal products to animals, in particular to animals intended for food production. It can be difficult to administer a veterinary drug to an animal, especially in the case of smaller species typically reared in large groups such as a flock of birds or a school of fish where there would be hundreds of animals that all need to be treated at the same time. The use of medicated feed provides an simple, [...]

The role of animal nutrition and feed strategies and options for reducing the need to use antimicrobials in animal production was highlighted in a side event during a meeting of the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance that took place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 10 to 14 December 2018. The speakers summarized the current state of the art and recent insights on how diets, gut health and the immune system interact and could contribute to disease [...]

Today the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a World Food Safety Day. Starting in 2019, every 7 June will be a time to celebrate the myriad benefits of safe food. “World Food Safety Day will be a chance for everyone to take a moment to think about something we often take for granted: food safety”, said Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt. “Thanks to the widespread efforts of Codex Members and Observers, the international community will speak with one voice [...]

The Codex Secretary Mr Tom Heilandt, Mr Fan Yongxiang, Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and the Former Codex Chairperson Mrs Awilo Ochieng Pernet attended the 3rd Shenzhen Food Safety Risk Communication Forum, which took place in Shenzhen (China) on 5th and 6th November 2018. This year the Forum was dedicated to food safety early warning and food quality improvement. It brought together renowned national and international experts as well as 400 participants including government officials, industry [...]