In preparation for CCFICS26, the electronic Working Group (eWG) for Equivalence is convening a CCFICS Equivalence virtual workshop on 21 September 2022, 12.00 to 14.30 CET, open to all Codex Members and Observers. Equivalence is a complex issue and building understanding and consensus takes time.  There have been multiple rounds of consultation and comments via physical and electronic working groups and at several CCFICS meetings since 2014.  The event will provide an opportunity for informal discussion of the two separate but parallel [...]

An online event hosted by the Codex Secretariat at 12:00 CEST on Tuesday 20 September 2022 will see the launch of a new Codex survey to measure the use and impact of Codex standards. This survey, developed with the evaluation units of FAO and WHO will seek valuable input from countries on the reach, usefulness, and how a sample of Codex texts are used. The data will contribute to monitoring under the Codex Strategic Plan 2022-2025. The event will bring together [...]

The Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025 incorporated a new goal on recognition and use of Codex texts. Key to achieving this goal and monitoring progress is data on the use and impact of Codex texts. To collect such data the Codex Secretariat will launch a survey to all Members in September 2022. Previously, data on the use of Codex Standards has been collected by the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees. Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt recalls that “we have learned a lot from these efforts, [...]

A live event held online for Codex Members and Observers on 29 July 2022 provided the first details of what the 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission will look like as a physical session scheduled for Rome beginning 21 November. In opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, United Kingdom, said “we have to continue to adapt and continue to address new challenges … and uppermost in my mind is the need to maintain the level of participation we’ve [...]

A live event will take place for all Codex Members and Observers on Friday 29 July 2022 from 12:00 to 13:00 CEST via Zoom. With interpretation in six languages, all those wishing to learn more about the arrangements for the 45th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) will be able to hear directly from the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the Codex Secretary about the plans for the return to a physical session at FAO, Rome, Italy [...]

Opening the 53rd session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR), being held virtually from 4-8 July 2022 , Chief Veterinary Officer LI Jinxiang from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China, said: “The work of the CCPR not only has a significant influence on the development of national pesticide residue standards, but also plays an increasingly important role in strengthening the exchanges and cooperation in pesticide residue control.” He looked forward to a productive meeting where delegates [...]

As the 53rd Session of Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) gets underway virtually from 4 to 8 July, 2022, the Codex Secretariat spoke to the new Chairperson of the committee Guibiao YE, from hosts China. Tell us about your role in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ICAMA? I have been engaged in the management of pesticide registration in the Institute for Control of Agrochemicals of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for nearly 30 years. Over the last three [...]

USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative, EatSafe: Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food, has honored this year’s World Food Safety Day (WFSD) with a special focus on traditional markets. The program’s aim is to to enable lasting improvements in the safety of nutritious foods in informal markets by focusing on the consumer. To commemorate this year’s WFSD, EatSafe led a series of activities, including blogs, events, resources, and even a podcast discussing what it means to “foster a culture of [...]

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 [...]

Thanking participants for their commitment to safer food and better health, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opened the 7 June webinar by sharing the news that countries approved the updated WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety. In late May 2022, the World Health Assembly committed “for the first time to concrete targets for reducing foodborne diarrhoea, strengthening surveillance, and improving coordination,” he announced. Also relaying World Food Safety Day greetings via video message at the opening of the online event [...]