The ‘Coordinating Committee for Africa’ was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1972 with a mandate to “exercise general coordination in the preparation of standards relating to the region of Africa”. The committee held its first meeting at FAO in 1974, with 19 countries in attendance.
As the new regional coordinator begins their term, the Agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in May 2020, has reinforced the need for an efficient and effective system for managing sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in particular food safety, across the continent as its borders open for trade.
The regional coordinator is based in the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives which oversees, as part of its mandate, the promotion and use of standards.
As regional coordinator, Uganda intends to engage closely with countries via surveys, webinars and workshops to identify needs and emerging issues, create awareness of priority food safety issues and of Codex standards. A pilot study will also explore the food safety situation in broader terms across the region. By strengthening engagement with regional bodies such as the African Union, the African Organisation for Standardisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Uganda also aims to enhance advocacy work in the region.
Dr Adelheid Onyango, Regional Nutrition Advisor, WHO Office for the Region of African explains the importance of food safety in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Dr Onyango tells us the significance of World Food Safety Day celebrated last week and everyone’s role in ensuring food safety and its implication for good health for all. She underlines the importance of markets as a critical social place in this region and the challenges faced to ensure the provision of safe and healthy food [...]
A 1.5-hour talk about ‘No food security without food safety’ on YouTube, moderated by Charles Katsande of FoodBev International Consulting Pty Ltd, saw the participation of 92 people on 5 June 2020. Organized by the South Africa-based organization, the event connected people from many parts of the world including various countries in Africa and Europe as well as Australia, Canada, India and the United States.
A sub-theme of ‘know food safety, no harm’ was also developed.
The panel of five experts each [...]
Blaise Ouattara, Food Safety and Quality Officer at the FAO Regional Office for Africa, answers questions from an RFI reporter to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on food safety and the challenges ahead. He also explains the positive effects of the pandemic, particularly in terms of hygiene measures and stresses the importance of practicing the WHO Five Keys to safer food.
Listen to the podcast on: http://rfi.my/61Kl.W
Fred Kafeero, FAO Representative to Tanzania and Tigest Ketsela Mengestu, the WHO representative report from Tanzania on how important food safety is in the country.
Kafeero highlights the role street vendors play and FAO's work to ensure their products are safe and nutritious, while Tigest Ketsela Mengestu reinforces the World Food Safety Day key message that food safety is everyone's business if we are to contribute positively to public health, trade, employment and poverty alleviation.
To mark World Food Safety Day, which is celebrated on 7 June, a press conference will take place on 8 June 2020 at 10 am at the University of Santiago - Campus da Praia (School of Technologies and Management), located at the São José Seminary, Prainha - Praia.
This event aims to clarify for the audience the main aspects of the responsibility for food safety shared by the government / authorities, economic operators and consumers to ensure food safety in the [...]
Kenya joins the rest of the world in celebrating the 2nd World Food Safety Day. Due to the current challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic the celebration will occur by live promotions on local television networks/Radios, Live discussion/awareness forum on television, a series of webinars and print media/ newspaper supplements. The events will be facilitated by various government ministries involved in national food safety services.
The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative and the Ministry of Industry, Trade [...]
In South Africa, the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Developments and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specification, as Competent Authorities responsible for Food Safety and Control have, in collaboration with the food industry, scientific organizations and industry experts, planned a series of events and activities through on line and virtual platforms, including social media, with the aim to celebrate World Food Safety Day 2020 and to inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage food [...]
This year, to raise awareness and inspire action for safer food in Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Programme (WFP), Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA), and the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) are jointly organizing virtual World Food Safety Day (WFSD) events, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, on 8 & 10 June 2020. Considering the ongoing challenges of climate change, global food production and supply systems, [...]
The Joint FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA) and the Africa Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources have organised a webinar to commemorate this year’s world food safety day as a region
The 2nd observance of WFSD on 7 June 2020 promises to leverage on the momentum created from the previous celebrations. Africa Union Member States are desirous to collaborate in unison to focus efforts of reaching state and non-state actors as well as those directly involved in food systems in [...]
The current COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented change in how we think about and approach work, leisure, and life in general. Technologies are playing a crucial role in keeping our society functional in a time of lockdowns and quarantines. Codex Members and Observers had to adapt quickly to the new environment, implementing the use of online tools to actively participate in Codex work and ensure consumer health.
The Codex Secretariat has held training sessions in different regions and regularly showcases [...]
