Welcoming participants to the 81st session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General WHO, said the past year has shown the critical place and role of food safety and healthy diets in the development agenda, as well as the important results that can be achieved together and in partnership. “Regarding Codex, you know very well the critical role of its standards and guidelines in ensuring safety and quality of food commodities to improve consumer [...]

Speaking at the opening the celebrations of World Food Day 2021, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu recognized all those around the world who continue to work against the odds to ensure everyone has food to eat, and called for the transformation of agri-food systems to make them more efficient, more resilient, more transparent and more sustainable. World Food Day highlights the role countries can play to ensure that all people everywhere have access to enough affordable, nutritious and safe food and and [...]

The Codex task force on antimicrobial resistance had to go into extra time on Wednesday 13 October 2021 but has succeeded in recommending that new Guidelines on Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance of Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will be sent for final adoption at the Codex Alimentarius Commission in November 2021. Chairperson Yong Ho Park, Republic of Korea, said: “We knew the task would not be easy. I applaud with pride the compromises made by so many wonderful people to achieve our [...]

CCFFP35 set out to evaluate if the Standard for Canned Sardines and Sardine-Type Products (CXS 94-1981) can be amended to include the fish species S. lemuru (Bali Sardinella) in the list of Sardinella species. Working by correspondence since 20 September 2021, the work has progressed steadily with nearly 150 delegates signing up to participate on the platform also used for electronic working groups in Codex. So far the committee has agreed to select three species to be compared with Sardinella lemuru in a [...]

In an extended session on Saturday 9 October 2021, the Codex task force on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) reached agreement on sending the revision of the Code of practice to minimize and contain foodborne AMR to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for final adoption in November, but will go into extra time on Wednesday 13 October in an attempt to complete discussions on a new guideline on integrated monitoring and surveillance for foodborne AMR. Urged on by host, the Republic of Korea’s slogan [...]

The 46th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL46), hosted virtually by Canada from Ottawa, concluded on 7 October 2021 sending a new standard for the labelling of non-retail containers and guidelines for front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption in November. Chairperson, Kathy Twardek (pictured centre above), congratulating participants on the important progress made during the meeting said “it's stunning, really, I am thrilled. As a result of a lot of collaboration and flexibility, [...]

The atmosphere in the Codex Secretariat, if it is possible to describe a virtual atmosphere, was one of cautious optimism as work on the Guidelines for the Monitoring and Surveillance of Foodborne AMR paused on Wednesday 6 October 2021 and fresh discussions on the Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance took centre stage. Chairperson Professor Yong Ho Park has led the task force through much of the draft text and has been working in tandem with Rosa Perán, [...]

The number of people who will die every year due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is expected to rise to 10 million by 2050. Under the slogan, “There is no time to wait”, from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea, the eighth and final session of the Codex AMR task force opened virtually from Buyeo on 4 October 2021. In welcoming over 300 online delegates, Mr Kim Ganglip, Minister of Food and Drug Safety of the [...]

The final session of the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TFAMR8) will take place virtually from 4 to 9 October 2021, with the adoption of the report scheduled for 13 October. Mandated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2016, the Task Force is to: revise the Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance (CXC 61-2005) (COP) – and develop a new document: Guidance on Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (GLIS) to address the management [...]

A virtual event hosted live from the roof of FAO in Rome and the adjacent Caracalla Roman Baths kicked off the first World Food Forum (WFF) with high level messages, poetry and music from around the globe. WFF runs from 1 to 5 October 2020 and is a youth-led movement and network to transform our food systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular “zero hunger”. WFF brings together youth to drive awareness, foster engagement, and mobilize youth-led [...]