46th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

As part of a series of side events held at the 46th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome, 1 December, five countries offered examples from their national experiences that demonstrate the impact of Codex standards. In introducing the event, FAO Food Safety Officer Catherine Bessy outlined the four strategic outcomes FAO is aiming for as part of efforts to develop capacity on food safety. Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and [...]

For the first time after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has concluded with a physical report adoption. This brings to a close a momentous meeting that opened with festivities celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first CAC in 1963. The 46th session of CAC adopted a series of new food safety and quality standards including: the new Guidelines for the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in [...]

A well-attended side event was held at the 46th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC46) 28 November which heard from young people and former Codex Chairpersons on the subject of how to sustain the work of Codex by engaging young people in its activities. The event was held at the invitation of former Codex Chairperson, Awilo Ochieng Pernet who also chaired the event, with the support of the Government of Switzerland. Ochieng Pernet [...]

Revisions to the Codex Standard for Follow-up Formula (CXS 156-1987) were adopted 28 November by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The text has been renamed to the Standard for Follow-up Formula for Older Infants and Product for Young Children in order to highlight the point of differentiation at 12 months of age due to different nutritional requirements of older infants and young children. The adoption of this text concludes over 10 [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has voted to adopt maximum residue limits (MRLs) for zilpaterol hydrochloride. The MRLs have been the subject of debate within the Commission for some years and Chairperson Steve Wearne had made it clear that he and the Vice-Chairpersons had perceived among the Members “a recognition that time is now growing short, and a sense of impatience that this issue should be resolved at CAC46.” This [...]

The 46th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) opened 27 November with a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first CAC meeting. As part of the festivities, all countries that host or have ever hosted a Codex committee were honoured. Among them was Spain, as host of the little-known Joint Codex/International Olive Oil Council (IOOC – formerly IOC) Meeting on the Standardization of Table Olives (CXTO), which worked over two sessions [...]

The 2023 edition of the CODEX magazine has been published ahead of the 60th anniversary Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting, CAC46, which will take place 27 November–2 December at FAO headquarters in Rome. In addition to the regular CODEX magazine features, this “bumper” edition of the magazine takes a look at key milestones throughout Codex’s history, from its first Commission meeting in 1963 through to this anniversary year, and explores different opinions [...]

The 46th meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has opened with a celebration of the Commission’s 60 years of standards setting, in which the past, future and relevance of Codex were discussed by a range of experts, and long-standing contributions to Codex were recognized. The opening session, facilitated by Corinna Hawkes, Director of the FAO Food Systems and Food Safety Division and Codex Secretary ad interim, heard from the FAO [...]

The 46th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission was opened at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 27 November by the Directors-General of FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) with celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the first Commission meeting in 1963. Dr Qu Dongyu, FAO’s Director-General welcomed the more-than 700 delegates from Codex Member Countries and Observer Organizations who have travelled [...]

To commemorate the achievements of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in its 60 years of food standard-setting, FAO has produced a new video to underscore that the standards are about protecting consumer health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade. The video highlights that we all rely on Codex standards. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, is run by FAO and WHO.Through an inclusive, [...]