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 Ministry of Agriculture of Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands looks forward to supporting our Pacific Island countries apply and implement food safety standards across all sectors that will assist trade and access to international markets. As the pace of trade evolves rapidly, so must our capability and capacity to effectively engage, develop, implement and contribute to food safety standards at both the regional and international arena.
The Regional Coordinator will continue to support the work on regional standards and aspires to strengthen effective participation of the region in all relevant Codex matters. We continue to develop our capacity at our national level by ensuring our national coordinators and contact points are well equipped for increased and effective participation in Codex.
Apia, Samoa 11 June
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands held a two-day celebration of World Food Safety Day in collaboration with Ministry of Health of Samoa.
Building on a shared commitment to food safety, FAO and the Government of Samoa held a workshop to assess enhance the Samoan national food safety system. “Through open dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, we can identify practical solutions and strategies to enhance our national framework. [...]
To mark World Food Safety Day, the Australian Institute for Food Science and Technology (AIFST) is holding a webinar on “Food Safety - Science in Action”.
The event will include an expert panel which will “unpack the science that safeguards our food and our future”.
Host: Deon Mahoney, AIFST Scientific Advisor
Panellists:
Victoria Wansink, ACT Health (Health Department of the Territory Government of the Australian Capital Territory)Jasmine Lacis-Lee, Bureau Veritas and AsureQuality (BVAQ) food testing, inspection and certification service providerMartyn Kirk, Australian National UniversityCraig Shadbolt, New South [...]
The 17th meeting of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP) has successfully concluded in Nadi, Fiji.
The meeting discussed a range of food safety issues, new work proposals for regional standards, Codex strategic plans and nominated a new Coordinator. Food safety concerns under discussion that are relevant to the region included foodborne illnesses caused by microbiological pathogens, food fraud and adulteration, contaminants in food from multiple sources, and food labelling and allergens. The region’s [...]
The 17th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific has commenced in Nadi, Fiji. The meeting was opened with a traditional Fijian welcome, after which the Honourable Vatimi Rayalu, Fiji’s Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, gave his opening remarks, together with representatives of FAO, WHO and the Codex Alimentarius.
“Food safety is not just a regional concern, it is a global priority that represents one of the most pressing challenges in trade, public health [...]
As Fiji gears up to host the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and South West Pacific (CCNASWP) for the last time in this term, we spoke with the Chairperson, Andrew Tukana, about achievements, hopes and expectations for the upcoming meeting.
What benefits have you seen as consequence of your work in the region?
First of all, I must thank Fiji’s former Coordinator of CCNASWP, Vinesh Kumar, for the great work in hosting the meeting in in 2023 (CCNASWP16).
As the Coordinator [...]
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 [...]
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