The 41st session of the Commission finished last week and the CCLAC region led by their coordinator Diego Varela from Chile put together a videoblog which provides a fascinating behind the scenes look at the week from their perspective. With such a varied mix of countries in CCLAC it was great to see active participation and discussion especially around issues such as the standard for quinoa that is so relevant to Latin America. We look forward to hearing much more from Chile [...]

On Thursday and Friday 24-25 May, 40 participants from 26 of the 33 countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) region gathered in Asunción, Paraguay for training on the online web tools that form a central part of food safety standards development in Codex. Following successful workshops in Nairobi and Dakar, this third leg in the series of regional programmes in Paraguay was a valuable opportunity for those working in national standard setting structures and for Codex Contact Points [...]

Today at an event organised by Codex at FAO HQ in Rome, Ms Geannina Dinarte Romero, Minister for Economy, Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica, called on countries to support the initiative for a World Food Safety Day that would signal the right for all people to have access to safe and nutritious food in sufficient quantity.  There can be no food security, no zero hunger without food safety The Director-General of FAO Mr José Graziano da Silva, opening the meeting, stated [...]

Safe food to consumers should not be compromised regardless of the economic standing of the country. Greg Read is First Assistant Secretary in the Exports Division of the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and also chair of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS).  Q: How does CCFICS work to ensure fair trading practices and facilitate international trade in foodstuffs, protecting at the same time the health of consumers? Read: CCFICs has developed a large [...]

Contaminants are substances that have not been intentionally added to food. They can occur naturally and enter the food while a crop is growing. They can form during manufacturing, handling, storage, processing or distribution. Or they can enter the food from the environment, through our water, the air or soil. The Contaminants Committee establishes or endorses permitted maximum levels or guidelines levels for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed. Nearly 50 countries are expected at this 11th session which [...]

The Codex Chairperson Mrs Awilo Ochieng Pernet and the Codex Secretary Mr Tom Heilandt met with the communications team from the Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality (ACHIPIA) to learn about the Chilean experience in raising consumer awareness about the importance of food safety and nutrition. Everyone's responsibility With the Agency’s motto being “Safe and nutritious foods, everyone’s responsibility”, ACHIPIA has set out to explain to the general public not only the Chilean national food safety and quality control system, but [...]

These meetings provide an incredibly important opportunity for dynamic discussion on major and emerging food safety and quality issues facing the region. Dr Kazuaki Miyagishima - WHO The 20th meeting of the Codex Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) began today in Viña del Mar, Chile. Nearly 100 delegates from the 33 countries in the region are attending as well as Codex representatives from Canada, Switzerland and the United States. Codex Regions There are six Codex regions each represented by a joint [...]

In order to strengthen the Codex Alimentarius work in Bolivia, the Bolivian Codex Commitee (CNCA) organized a 2 day symposium involving country authorities, food producers, laboratory experts, exporters, universities, consumers and the Chair of Codex Alimentarius Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet. The symposium demonstrated the work of Codex in Food Safety. First visit of Codex Chair to Bolivia Held earlier this month, the CNCA workshop successfully highlighted the importance of Food Safety and the relevance of Codex work in the country. For this [...]

Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality ACHIPIA Thursday May 14, 2015 - Santiago, Chile The Codex training workshop was organized by the Secretariat of the National Committee of Codex, in response to a request that emerged in the National Codex Committee (NCC), based on the need to reaffirm the knowledge on the functioning of Codex, both for members of the CNC and for the coordinators of the the National Codex Subcommittees. Download details (Sp)

The Codex Secretariat in Peru has put together a wonderful video from World Health Day on April 7th which exactly captures the spirit the work Standard setting and Codex does in contributing to #safefood. You will see some familiar Codex faces and many of those who work behind the scenes in Peru. Importantly, the video also captures stall holders and vendors at work - all part of the process of ensuring that food is in every home safely.