食典委秘书处与食品污染物法典委员会（CCCF）、食品进出口检验及认证系统法典委员会（CCFICS）、分析和采样方法法典委员会（CCMAS）东道国秘书处商定，鉴于COVID-19疫情的持续发展，宣布取消这三个法典委员会会议。 食典委秘书Tom Heilandt表示，“鉴于形势日益严峻，我们需要向筹备组织和参加这些会议的人士提供确切消息。我们与每一个东道国秘书处都进行了商讨，以了解其国家的实际情况。感谢他们在这一过程中给予的合作。这是一个痛苦的过程，因为在前期会议筹备工作中已经投入了大量工作和资金。” 各法典委员会通常会将其工作和制定的标准提交7月份食典委会议讨论通过。Tom Heilandt表示，“为了最大限度减少延误，我们将与各电子工作组主席联络，并采纳所有必要的建议，以探索通过通信方式开展工作的可能性，以便将各法典委员会的部分工作提交2020年7月召开的食典委第四十三届会议审议，或者至少使这些工作组在各法典委员会会议另行安排召开之前继续开展工作”。 食品中兽药残留法典委员会（CCRVDF）原计划于5月召开会议，略晚于其他法典委员会；因此Heilandt确认，在未来几周内，并最迟于该委员会预定召开前一个月，将与美国东道秘书处进一步协商后做出决定。 食品添加剂法典委员会（CCFA）已经推迟了一次，在与中国东道秘书处进一步磋商后，我们将发布更新通知。关于食典委会议（2020年7月6日至 11日）情况，我们将在未来几周与粮农组织和世卫组织讨论。 食典委主席Guilherme da Costa表示：“我对无法按照原定日程召开所有会议深表遗憾，但值此非常时期，我们认为当前采取的行动是唯一安全和明智的做法。我要感谢所有东道国政府在作出这些艰难决定时给予的积极主动合作，以及其对食典委一如既往的支持。” 一旦食典委会议时间表有进一步更新，我们将随时发布。   关于新型冠状病毒肺炎的详细情况请访问世卫组织网站。

Over 1 000 food safety stakeholders from around the world gathered in Seattle, USA this week for the 2020 Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference, which also marked the 20th anniversary for the GFSI. Action is more urgent than ever. Addressing the conference, Peter Freedman, Managing Director of the Consumer Goods Forum said 2020 marked a moment of change in governance and strategy for GFSI. “Action is more urgent than ever”, he said, citing the climate advocate Greta Thunberg. “Our agenda remains [...]

At the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission held at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva on 10-14 February 2020, Bukar Tijani (pictured left), FAO Assistant Director-General for the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department emphasized the need for Codex to remain alert to emerging issues that will impact its work. Describing the nature of diseases that can spread from animals to humans and then cross borders, Tijani said that outbreaks such as African swine fever or COVID-19 [...]

As the 78th session of the Executive Board of the Codex Alimentarius Commission got underway at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Naoko Yamamoto (main photo), Assistant Director General, WHO, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to work closely with FAO in order to enhance the role of the Executive Board to review and optimize the operations of the whole Codex Alimentarius Commission. Acknowledging WHO’s role in working closely with member states and FAO to strengthen food systems and improve [...]

The Executive Board of the World Health Organization has endorsed a draft food safety resolution and will now send it for consideration by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2020. Two thirds of Executive Board members took the floor and strongly supported the resolution. Many member states are now sponsors of the draft resolution, which was negotiated with the European Union as chair. Dirk Lange, European Commission, said: “This WHA resolution will put food safety high on the international political [...]

The Codex Secretariat can confirm that the 52nd meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), originally scheduled to take place in Lanzhou, China from 2 to 6 March 2020 has been postponed due to the situation regarding the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In collaboration with the China National Health Commission and the CCFA Host Secretariat, the Codex Secretariat is exploring whether the meeting could be held in China, at a location to be confirmed, from 22 to 26 [...]

Strengthening the existing regulatory framework for agricultural trade is essential to ensuring the availability of safe and nutritious foods now and in the future. Multilateral trade rules provide a framework for predictability, transparency and cooperation. They can limit distortions, minimize unnecessary barriers to trade and facilitate trade itself. Complying with international standards is also important for ensuring food safety, quality and consumer awareness. Speaking at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), an international conference on agri-food policy issues held [...]

From 16 to 18 January 2020, around 2 000 global experts from politics, industry, science and civil society are meeting at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin, Germany to discuss global key issues and to jointly develop solutions. The forum is looking at trade for global food security from all angles and is an opportunity to discuss how to shape international trade in order for it to provide secure, diverse and sustainable food and nutrition for [...]

In Düsseldorf, Germany an extended session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) with nearly 400 delegates in attendance, kicked off Sunday 24 November 2019. Speaking via a video message Julia Klöckner, German Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, said that with over 820 million people still suffering from hunger whilst at the same time almost a third of the global population is affected by excess weight and obesity, nutrition and health policies [...]

In the week that WHO urges action to increase physical activity levels in girls and boys aged 11 to 17 years and reports that more than 80% of school-going adolescents globally do not meet current recommendations of at least one hour of physical activity per day, it is timely that the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) is meeting from 24 to 29 November in Duesseldorf, Germany. Purwiyatno Hariyadi, Indonesia, Vice-chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission [...]