The CCNE Region - Regional Coordinator Oman

The eleventh session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East (CCNE) commenced today, marking an important milestone in regional collaboration on food safety and quality standards. The meeting, chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is taking place on 18 – 22 September 2023 in Rome, at the FAO headquarters with representatives from 17 countries joining in person and virtually. “I urge everyone to exchange scientific expertise and promote the use of Codex Alimentarius Commission standards as a basis for [...]

The eleventh meeting of the Codex Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE) will take place 18–22 September at FAO headquarters in Rome. We spoke to Khalid S Al Zhrani, from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), who will chair CCNE11 on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the current Regional Coordinator for the Near East, to find out more about him and his expectations for the meeting. Q. Khalid, thanks for your time. For those who don’t know you, could [...]

The Qatar General Authority for Standardization and Metrology held World Food Safety Day events on 7 and 8 June under the theme “Food standards save lives”. Celebrations took place in collaboration with the Municipality, Qatar University, and Monoprix supermarkets and included a popup stall showcasing awareness videos and emphasizing the importance of food safety to consumers and children. Leaflets were distributed and colouring sessions and games were organized for children. There were three key messages the events were aiming to highlight: The [...]

A Regional Expert Consultation was held on 6-8 June 2023 in Amman, Jordan, to Harmonize the National Ambient Air Quality Standards in The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) in Line with WHO Air Quality Guidelines. The consultation was organized by the Climate Change, Health and Environment unit / Healthier Populations Department/ Regional Office of the Eastern Mediterranean and attended by 40 air quality & health experts (32 in person and 8 virtual) from the ministries of health and environment, research centres, and [...]

For the fifth year, WHO Country Office in Jordan, Climate Change, Health and Environment Unit / EMRO and the International Food Safety Authorities secretariat /HQ, celebrated with the Jordan Ministry of Health and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration World Food Safety Day 2023. This year'stheme “Food standards save lives”, holds a call for action for policymakers, food businesses and workplaces, educational institutions, and most importantly consumers. Drawing attention to the role of food safety standards in protecting consumers health, food [...]

The Sultanate of Oman declares its commitment to Codex and to international standards and guidelines for food safety and quality in a video recently released as part of the country’s celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius. The country has been a Codex Member for over 50 years and has actively participated in the development of global standards and in particular has played an active role in regional initiatives such as the Arab Codex initiative and the Gulf Cooperation [...]

Egypt celebrated World Food Safety Day 2023 through a special event co-convened by the National Food Safety Agency (NFSA) of Egypt and Codex Egypt, based in the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS). The event highlights the importance given by Egyptian food stakeholders to food safety, with special addresses from the leadership of both Organizations and the leadership of the Chamber of Food Industries (CFI). The event also features an introduction to future efforts of modernization of the Egyptian Food [...]

The Gulf Warehousing Company, GWC, a logistics provider based in Qatar, celebrated World Food Safety Day on 7, 8 and 11 June 2023 as part of a commitment to support this global observance in all its facilities. GWC emphasizes stringent food safety control measures and its food safety policy and objectives focus on compliance, training and competency development, communication, and a strong food safety culture to ensure customer satisfaction. Food safety awareness sessions were organized across the company’s food warehouses as part [...]

The Sultanate of Oman celebrates World Food Safety Day “Food standards save lives” through a number of events, held from 10-14 June 2023. These events coincided with Oman’s Food Safety Week, and included holding Oman's 6th International Conference on Food Safety and Quality . The event, which brought together specialists from Oman and around the world, focused on reviewing enablers of the food safety system. It also dealt with artificial intelligence, modern technologies, the management of food hazards and challenges in the field [...]

In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) conducted a multimedia campaign on the occasion of  World Food Safety Day. The SFDA Executive President, Professor Hisham Al-Jadhey stated in a public address: “This year's slogan, ‘Food Standards Save Lives’, confirms the importance of the safety of products throughout all stages of the food chain, starting from the production and manufacturing, up to transportation, preservation and storage, and ending with the display of these products in the markets to [...]