Ahead of developing new international guidance for the control of histamine in fish and fishery products, the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene requested FAO and WHO to provide scientific information to consider whether salmonids, which have an extensive global market, should be included in this new guidance. The literature review developed by FAO and WHO on the risk of histamine development in fish of the Salmonidae family and the potential impact on human health, is now available online. Histamine is a naturally [...]

The FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund has just issued “Top Tips for Smart Applications”. The three questions and seven “tips” help countries understand what to emphasize in their applications and what to avoid.  The Codex Trust Fund supports individual or group projects for a maximum period of three years. These projects are meant to address key weaknesses in national Codex structures and build the basis for effective and sustained engagement in the Codex process.  “It is important that applicant countries really identify a [...]

Staying abreast of the evolving regulatory landscape affecting the food trade can be a challenge. Yet it is vital for both public and private sector stakeholders to find out in a timely manner when changes are on their way. This is where ePing can help. ePing is of potential interest to Codex Members and Observers -government agencies, standardizing bodies, producers, exporters, importers, service providers, international organizations, research institutes and NGOs. World Trade Organization (WTO) member governments are required to notify other [...]

The FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) is currently underway at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin, Germany. Dr Roland Solecki, Head of the Department of Pesticides Safety of the Federal Institute hosting the event, highlighted the importance of JMPR’s work in supporting the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) with scientific advice. He also noted its valuable contribution to enhancing collaboration between national and international organizations to assess the risk of pesticide residues in foods. This is [...]

The Codex community (and beyond) is invited to take part in a video campaign being launched today to express support for creating a UN day dedicated to food safety. The campaign, led by the Codex Secretariat, will largely take place on Twitter  and is open to anyone interested in seeing the resolution approved at the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York, USA so that worldwide people can recognize the importance of safe food every year on 7 June. “I encourage [...]

You may have seen it. The colourful assembly of iconic food images on the cover is hard to miss. With the same cover design, the fifth edition of Understanding Codex is now accessible in four of the six official UN languages on the FAO/WHO Codex website – the remaining two are coming soon. The publication has been updated to help readers better understand how the Codex Alimentarius Commission works, how it facilitates the food trade, benefitting economies and livelihoods, and [...]

Consumers International represents the voice of consumers in international policy-making forums and the global marketplace, including in the Codex Alimentarius Commission as an Observer organization. The vast partnership – with more than 200 organizations in more than 100 countries – strives to ‘drive change in the global marketplace on a scale that cannot be achieved at a national level alone, to ensure consumers are treated safely, fairly and honestly’. The Codex Secretariat recently spoke with Anna Glayzer, who is an [...]

The Codex Secretariat held a webinar in conjunction with the WHO Country office, in which the Mongolian Codex Contact Point and colleagues had the opportunity to improve their knowledge of the Online Commenting System (OCS) and digital platform for Electronic Working Groups (eWG). Participants actively engaged in the hands-on session by asking questions and interacting with the Codex Secretariat afterward. The documents used during the training can be downloaded and other relevant materials may be requested of the trainers. “A beneficial experience” – [...]

The Strategic Plan, which sets forth the vision, goals and objectives for the Codex Alimentarius Commission for the period 2020-2025 is currently under development and this week has been shared with all Codex Members and Observers for their input. “The next Strategic Plan will define how we act together in Codex in this changing world of swifter communications and scientific developments with significant implications for food safety and fair practices in food trade,” said Guilherme Costa Jr, Codex Alimentarius Chairperson. “The [...]

Round 3 of the “Call for Applications” for support from the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund (CTF) opened on 15 August 2018. Currently, 105 countries are eligible to apply for funding either individually or in a group application with other countries before 30 November 2018. The Codex Trust Fund provides support for up to three years to undertake key activities that build national Codex capacity. These include: awareness raising to secure political and economic support for Codex in the country; training courses for [...]