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.
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 [...]
The Asociación de Productores y Empacadores Exportadores de Aguacate de México – or Association of Producers and Packers Exporters of Avocado of Mexico (APEAM) held a World Food Safety Day forum this year, in collaboration with its associates and collaborators within the value chain.
The event took place over two days: on 6 June in a virtual format, and 7 June in a face-to-face format. With more than 600 attendees, this event raised the awareness of the participants about the importance [...]
The Avocado Packing Company S.A.C. celebrated World food Safety Day this year with the motto: "Food standards save lives".
Celebrations consisted of distributing different World Food Safety Day flyers to the corporate emails of company staff, and a staff quiz. The quiz involved playing "three in a row", answering questions related to food safety, completing a line of three and winning and playing. As a prize for the correct answers, staff were given various prizes. The questions were prepared according to [...]
The Salvadoran Agency for Technical Regulation (OSARTEC), an institution that is part of the National Quality Council, is responsible for raising awareness about Codex Alimentarius standards in El Salvador, and how they protect the health of Salvadorans.
On World Food Safety Day, OSARTEC celebrated its 2nd edition of a World Food Safety Day sports race and this year, combined the observance with celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, with the support of the International Regional Organization for [...]
Guatemala joined the global celebrations of World Food Safety Day 2023 with the motto "Food standards save lives".
The event, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), was aimed at raising awareness among the population about the importance of risk prevention, detection and management through food safety. The Vice-Minister of Agricultural Health and Regulations (VISAR), Víctor Hugo Guzmán, said that the work carried out to date allows for highly effective official controls on food, thus contributing to the [...]
At the Vina el Rosal vineyard in Chile, World Food Safety Day was celebrated an activity called "Having Breakfast with Safety". The event was successfully carried out 9 June with the theme, "Food Standards Save Lives".
The Safety Team at the vineyard gave participatory seminar sessions with all those who work and contribute to obtaining a safe and quality product for customers.z “Continuous improvement is our commitment in the wine industry,” said the organizers.
The day emphasized the importance of standards that [...]
On 5 June, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica (MEIC), joined the celebration of World Food Safety Day, in a high-level event with political, technical and industry-level decision makers from across the country.
The following day, 6 June, the building of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica was lit up in orange to mark not only World Food Safety Day, but also the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) “as a visual [...]
