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.
With the growth in the international trade in food comes the need to be able to prevent, detect and manage foodborne diseases across borders. Foodborne diseases can occur even when there are robust food control systems in place and can cause illness across the globe. In these cases, the FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) facilitates the rapid exchange of the information needed between different national authorities to enable them to address cases of foodborne disease outbreak in a [...]
María de los Angeles Gatica is the regional coordinator for the Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project, which helps countries contain foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). She is one of the youngest project leaders across FAO. We spoke to her about her role and about what has motivated her to help the ACT project to its impressive successes so far.
Can you tell us about your personal background?
I grew up in a rural community on the outskirts of [...]
The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project is being carried out in six countries, of which one is the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Here, the Project has made great progress in helping the national authorities improve governance of the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and has supported training to improve surveillance and monitoring of foodborne AMR.
Carolina Tejerina is a protagonist in these activities, and we spoke with her to find out [...]
When implemented, Codex standards facilitate fair practices in the food trade and protect consumer health. It is therefore expedient for countries to be able to participate in the standards setting processes. However, for a range of reasons, not all countries can or do participate in Codex work.
In this interview, Alfred Barrett, Plant Quarantine Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Jamaica, explains how participating in the Codex procedure for setting the Standard for Yam meant the text is [...]
The Government of Suriname hosted the Conference of the Caribbean Food Safety Task Force 10–12 September 2024, where more than one hundred participants from across the food chain in the region, including policymakers, international technical experts, Codex Contact Points, members of the Caribbean Food Safety Task Force, and representatives from the food industry, gathered in the country’s capital, Paramaribo.
The focus of the meeting was "Food Safety in a Changing Climate: Safe Food, Healthy People, Stronger Communities". This event was jointly [...]
A new success story has been published highlighting some achievements of the Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project in the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
The ACT project is working to help six countries improve surveillance, governance, awareness and best practices to minimize and contain foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This success story focuses on the establishment by the Government of Bolivia of a multisectoral AMR containment committee, CC-RAM, and efforts by various stakeholders to improve surveillance and monitoring [...]
The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project supported activities in the Plurinational State of Bolivia and in Colombia in commemoration of World Food Safety Day this year.
In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, events were organized by the Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria e Inocuidad Alimentaria (SENASAG), in coordination with food producers and processing companies.
On 6 June, World Food Safety Day was launched in the Gandarillas Hall of the Ministry of Rural [...]
Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the National University of Salta, Argentina, are invited to take part in a poster competition on the subject of “Food safety is everyone’s business” or “food safety: prepare for the unexpected”
Submission: 20–30 August 2024Evaluation by juries: 2–6 September 2024Award ceremony: 9 September 2024
For more information on the competition
Read more
World Food Safety Day events this year
The Coordinating Committee for the Latin America and Caribbean region has concluded its 23rd session with the adoption of its report and agreement on a number of key points. Opening the final session, Chairperson Rommel Betancourt thanked participants and organizers of the side events organized for Thursday, and also thanked the Codex and CCLAC secretariats and interpreters. Upon adoption of the report and with his last act as Regional Coordinator, Betancourt declared, “We’re going to miss you all!! A big [...]
The 23rd session of the Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) has opened in a virtual session hosted by the Regional Coordinator, Ecuador.
Opening remarks were offered by guests Patricio Almeida, executive director of Ecuador’s Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad), Gherda Barreto, FAO representative in Ecuador and Sonia Quezada, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) representative in Ecuador. Almeida highlighted the importance Ecuador attaches to its role as Regional Coordinator, listing the ways in which [...]
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