FAO and WHO are currently seeking experts, stakeholders and data related to the carry-over from feed to food of unavoidable and unintended residues of approved veterinary drugs. The three calls have been issued in preparation of the FAO/WHO Stakeholder Meeting on 7 January 2019 and the Expert Consultation Meeting on 8 to 11 January 2019 in Rome, Italy. The 23rd Codex Committee on Residue of Veterinary Drugs in Food has requested FAO and WHO to provide scientific advice to address the [...]

Chilean Codex Committee members Cassandra Pacheco and Constanza Vergara led a training workshop in Lima, Peru, on July 31 and August 2, to strengthen the technical and scientific capacities of the members of the Peruvian Codex Committee to better engage in the risk management work of the Codex Alimentarius The workshop was attended by 40 delegates, representing industry, academia, consumers and the national government. Part of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) twinning programme, the meeting focussed mainly on [...]

The International Dairy Federation (IDF), a longstanding Codex Observer organization, now has more than 1 200 dairy experts dedicated to helping ‘nourish the world with safe and sustainable dairy’, a mission that aligns well with ‘protecting health and facilitating trade’. IDF has been contributing to the development of standards for the dairy sector since 1903. With member countries representing the entire dairy chain – from farmers and processors to research centers and academia – IDF has served as technical advisor [...]

Following the retirement of Michel Thibier as chair of the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) after over 15 years of service, France has appointed a successor. Jean-Luc Angot, General Inspector of Veterinary Public Health at the French Ministry for Agriculture and Food, will guide the work of the committee that deals with all procedural and general matters.  He will preside over the next session in March 2019 where CCGP will begin to develop procedural guidance that ensures the transparency [...]

As government, business and civil society leaders review the world’s progress on sustainable development at the United Nations in New York, a 12 July 2018 event, convened by the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica, zeroed in on food safety and the vital role of Codex standards. Codex Alimentarius Commission Officers, Members and Observers called for strengthening food safety efforts during “Safe Food for Sustainable and Resilient Societies”, a side event of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. “This is a [...]

At a meeting attended by over 650 delegates from 121 Member countries and 84 observer organizations, more than 30 standards were adopted and will now be published in the Codex Alimentarius or “food code”. In his closing remarks on Friday Guilherme da Costa from Brazil, the chairperson of the Commission thanked delegates for the flexible and constructive approach to what is often “a delicate negotiation process but one that has global effects on food safety and fair practices in trade.” Some of [...]

Famous chef demonstrates the WHO Five Keys to Food Safety Heinz Beck, a well known three-star Michelin chef, gave Codex Members and Observers a glimpse of his approach to creating fine, safe cuisine. Cooking up a symphony of ‘vegetables of the heart’, Beck emphasized the importance of food hygiene and applying Codex standards in the kitchen. FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo introduced Beck, highlighting the principles to which he adheres: circular economy, zero food waste, tasty and healthy food, which help [...]

The International Food Safety Authorities Network presented at CAC41 side session Increasing globalization of food trade heightens the risk of contaminated food spreading quickly around the globe. Through the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), WHO assists Member States in managing food safety risks, ensuring rapid sharing of information during food safety emergencies to stop the spread of contaminated food from one country to another. INFOSAN also facilitates the exchange of experiences and tested solutions to protect the health of consumers.  At a [...]

A side session explores the benefits of the WTO ePing system When trading products, governments establish requirements to accomplish policy objectives including the protection of human, animal and plant health, or protection of the environment. The World Trade Organization (WTO) SPS and TBT Agreements aim to ensure that these requirements do not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade. Under the WTO, Members are required to notify other Members before adopting new measures if these are likely to affect international trade and provide an opportunity [...]

A side session on global funding for food safety initiatives “While the Codex Trust Fund is about establishing national Codex structures and helping developing standards, the Standard Trade Development Facility (STDF) comes in at the following step to help countries implement the standards,” explained Melvin Spreij, Head of STDF Secretariat at a side event of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. “Achieving food safety is a joint responsibility. We encourage developing countries to apply to STDF project preparation grants and project grants”, he [...]