In 1976 a Coordinating Committee for Latin America, established by the 10th Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1974, held its first meeting in Rome with eight countries from the region in attendance. At its third session a proposal was made to change the name of the committee to its current form (Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean) as this better reflected the membership of the region. In 1984 at its 31st session, the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Commission, agreed to this change.
The region of Latin America and the Caribbean is an important actor in the production and trade of food at a global level. The region produces enough food to supply itself and to export, with both water and land resources to produce even more.
The region has enormous natural wealth, a flourishing agricultural industry and a family farming sector that is essential for its population. The promotion and strengthening of food safety must be continued at the level of all regions to guarantee the health of consumers and fair and equitable trade.
The coordinator, Ecuador is based in AGROCALIDAD an agency attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. They aim to create synergies between countries in the region, to provide mutual support in order to overcome regional problems and examine solutions to common challenges.
The coordinator further aims to strengthen collaboration among countries and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.
On 12 and 13 September, the Regional Coordinator of CCLAC organized a virtual seminar titled "Measurement Uncertainty in the Codex Alimentarius". The seminar created a space for technical exchange among those working in metrology institutes and in laboratories involved in health, agriculture or the environment in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The event sought to promote an understanding of the concept of measurement uncertainty and its importance in analytical results, the most common sources of uncertainty in the laboratory, and [...]
The Latin America and Caribbean Region (CCLAC), with the support of the Codex Secretariat and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), held a virtual workshop con Codex and its tools, with interpretation in Spanish, English and French, on 31 August and 5 September 2023. More than 200 delegates participated each day.
The topics covered during the webinar included the foundations of Codex, its importance in contributing to ensuring food safety and fair practices in food trade. The Codex process [...]
FOOD SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT - EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
Establishment of Maximum Limits for Chemical Contaminants in Food (ML)
Quito, Ecuador | June 19 to 23, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO), the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) and the Region, the Pan American Center for Foot and Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health of the Pan American Health Organization (PANAFTOSA/SPV-PAHO), are committed to supporting Codex Alimentarius Member States in making more informed decisions on food safety and food risk management.
The role of [...]
Omex Alimentaria the Mexican fresh foods company in Ayotlán, Jalisco, celebrated World Food Safety Day for the first time this year with employees and their children.
The activities were organized with the aim of reinforcing the culture of safety across the organization. Juan Pablo Galindo Vázquez, Manager of Quality Management Systems and Jorge Nephtali Trinidad Sánchez, Human Capital Manager, opened the event by speaking about the importance of food safety and joint participation in the food chain.
A knowledge rally was held [...]
Colombia celebrated World Food Safety Day 2023 with a webinar and a video by a famous young farmer to promote "Food safety is everyone's business". Almost one hundred people attended the event online on 7 June 2023, and the influencer reached over 637 000 followers on Instagram.
“During the webinar, we discussed myths and truth about food safety, the importance of good farming and good agriculture practices, sanitary regulations in Colombia, the five keys to safer food, and international projects in [...]
More than a hundred people attended a high-level World Food Safety Day 2023 event at the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands in La Paz, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, on 7 June 2023. The participants stressed the importance of food production following international standards and continuing activities such as raising awareness among producers, food processors, and consumers. Moreover, a food fair exhibited products from twelve different producers, and there were plays for children highlighting the five keys to safer [...]
In April 2023 the Peruvian General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety - DIGESA, organized a ceremony and conferences the celebrate the 60th anniversary of Codex.
Staff at DIGESA celebrate the Codex 60th anniversary in Peru.
Those taking part included Jorge Villena Chávez, former Director General of DIGESA, who initiated Codex work in Peru and was also their first national Codex Chairperson.
Learn more about the event (Spanish)
Photo credit
Main photo Jorge Villena Chávez with Libia Carlota Liza Quesquén from the Codex Contact [...]
The Ministry of Health of Peru (MINSA), through the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) and in conjunction with the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, through the National Agrarian Health Service of Peru (SENASA) as well as the Ministry of Production, through the National Agency for Fisheries Health (SANIPES) organized an "Educational Day for World Food Safety Day in Peru" in June. The virtual event took place via the Zoom Platform and was aimed at the [...]
A soft drinks bottling facility, Coca Cola Andina Renca Embotelladora, celebrated World Food Safety Day this year.
Events were aimed at all staff at the facility in order to raise awareness of the importance of safety to operators and in order to continue manufacturing for the benefit of consumers.
See some of the event photos in the World Food Safety Day Flickr album
Photo © Coca Cola Andina Renca
Over 600 people inLatin America and the Caribbean learned more about food safety at the webinar “Food standards save lives” on 5 and 6 June 2023. In addition, there was a drawing competition to showcase the significance of this topic.
“The implementation of food standards is essential to reduce foodborne illnesses, protect people's health and contribute to food and nutrition security. Standards help different sectors to improve their performance in terms of food safety, process traceability, and the transparent exchange of [...]