The 18th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, held in 1989, agreed to establish a new Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific, bringing together, in the words of the New Zealand delegation "far flung countries ... which have many common interests".
CCNASWP is a remarkably diverse region combining fully mature economies such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand with 10 small island states. The largest of these is Papua New Guinea (population over 7 million) and the smallest, the Cook Islands and Nauru with populations of around 10 000.
The regional coordinator is based within the Fijian Ministry of Agriculture.
Fiji looks forward to applying standards at the national level and supporting all countries in the region, especially the small island developing states, to establish a sound policy framework for food safety. These initiatives will support improvements in public health, ensure that imported food is safe and of the expected quality and develop increased access to international markets.
The regional coordinator will continue supporting work on regional standards and seeks to strengthen participation of the region in Codex in general. This can be achieved by continuing to develop capacity at the national level by enhancing the role of national coordinators and contact points for increased and effective participation in Codex
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 [...]
Food Safety Matters, a podcast for food safety professionals hosted by Food Safety Magazine, hosted an episode on improving food safety in traditional markets on 25 June, 2024. The podcast guests, Caroline Smith DeWaal, Senior Manager at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and Richard Pluke,the Food Safety Lead and Chief of Party for GAIN's EatSafe programme described the work to improve food safety in traditional markets, while also striving to encourage healthier diets and sustainable food systems. The [...]
The United States of America Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Kitchen Sink: A Food Loss and Waste Podcast celebrated World Food Safety Day this year with a special episode on food safety. The host and producer, Nika Larian, USAID Senior Nutrition Advisor for Food Safety, was joined by three experts, Richard Pluke, the Food Safety Lead and Chief of Party for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) EatSafe project; Roberta Lauretti-Bernhard, Vice President for Programs at Food Enterprise Solutions and [...]
In Papua New Guinea, World Food Safety Day was celebrated at a conference attended by FAO and WHO representatives, with an opening speech given on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Hon. John Boito, Coffee Minister, Livestock Minister and Oil Palm Minister.
The Minister’s speech started with a background to Papua New Guinea’s membership of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and thanks to the Directors General of FAO and WHO for the “excellent work done by FAO, WHO and Codex [...]
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is organizing for World Food Safety Day a half-day hybrid event to be held in the nation’s capital, Canberra, and online on Tuesday 11 June 2024.
The Department is the lead agency in Australia for Codex Alimentarius and sees World Food Safety Day as an opportunity to promote international food safety standard-setting among partner Codex agencies, industry and consumer organizations and food and beverage businesses. This year’s World Food Safety Day theme, [...]
Staff of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) joined the global celebrations for the 60th Anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), dressing up accordingly for the occasion. CRN, a stalwart supporter and regular attendee of CAC as well as of other Codex committees, raised a glass of orange juice – a perfect match with the outfits – in recognition of Codex work over the past six decades. wishing for many more years providing food standards, guidelines and codes of [...]
In mid-June 2023, just weeks after marking World Food Safety Day, New Zealand celebrated 60 years of success in Codex at The Beehive, New Zealand Parliament.
The anniversary festivities were attended by the Minister for Food Safety, Hon Rachel Brooking and the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Damien O’Connor. Representatives from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) also attended, including Director-General Ray Smith, Deputy Director-General (DDG) Policy and Trade Julie Collins, acting DDG New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) Jenny Bishop, and other [...]
World Food Safety Day was celebrated in a high-level event in Suva, Fiji on 7 June. Officials from the government and international organizations gave speeches in the morning, which were followed by two competitions.
The Chief Health Inspector of Fiji, Vimal Deo, opened proceedings, offering welcome remarks and an introduction to the day’s events. He then handed over to two chief guests, the Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Vatimi Rayalu, and the Minister for Health and Medical Services, Hon. Dr Ratu Atonio [...]
Agrilinks, an “online hub where agriculture, food security and development professionals connect” will celebrate World Food Safety Day in a webinar entitled Tiny Microbes with Big Business Impact: The Economic and Health Implications of Food Safety.
According to the event organizers, globally, conflict and climate change threaten advances made to reduce hunger and support economic development. Without safe food, we are not able to properly address food security issues. Through biological and chemical contamination, tiny microbes can have big impacts on [...]
The fifth annual World Food Safety Day on 7 June will focus on the ways “Food Standards Save Lives”— governments and the food industry use food safety strategies, standards, and regulations to guide food safety legislation and ensure best practices.
Raising awareness of and promoting the adoption and enforcement of food safety standards requires government agencies to collaborate closely. Join this upcoming webinar, hosted on behalf of the United States of America Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan Food Safety Subgroup, on [...]
.jpg)