Codex members and observers met in Edinburgh, UK from 28-31 May 2018 to continue work on the development of guidance on two draft Codex texts. The first deals with regulatory approaches to third party assurance schemes and aims to promote a harmonised and robust approach when countries consider such schemes to enhance their regulatory arrangements and delivery of official controls within the National Food Control System (NFCS). The second refers to the use of systems equivalence and is intended to cover situations [...]

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 [...]

Representing the Codex Secretariat at the OIE 86th General Session on 22 May 2018, Senior Food Standards Officer Hilde Kruse participated in a panel discussion with IGOs on “Establishing trust in the multilateral trade system through transparency and standards implementation monitoring”. The panel included representatives from FAO, Codex Alimentarius, World Bank, WHO and WTO; considered key partner organizations having an agreement with the OIE, and centered around a discussion on “Establishing trust in the multilateral trade system through transparency and Standard’s [...]

At the 10th International Symposium on Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli infections (VTEC2018) held in Florence Italy 6-9 May 2018, experts from The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) presented innovative work carried out in response to a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene for information on STEC in food. What are STEC? Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. Though most of these bacteria are harmless, others can [...]

Global experts gather at the 17th Food Safety Day in Seoul highlighting the rapid progress made on food safety in recent years. In the presence of Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon an event was held in Seoul last Friday to enhance public awareness and build social consensus on the importance of food safety. The Republic of Korea, through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety,  has strong ties with Codex Alimentarius and has strengthened its cooperation over many years both in providing technical [...]

The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods opened its 24th session in Chicago, Illinois, United States today, discussing a number of specific ways to restrict the amounts of veterinary drug residues in foods to levels that are safe for human consumption. Committed to Codex During his keynote speech, US Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, proclaimed his passion for what Codex does, noting its emphasis on science. “The United States as a country, [...]

A workshop held 11-12 April 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya is providing participants from COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) with a science-based approach for risk assessment and management of mycotoxins. Mycotoxin contamination of food commodities poses major challenges to both public health and trade. While it remains a global problem, this is particularly relevant in some regions of the world where dietary exposure to mycotoxins is still unacceptably high. Effective national and regional programmes for reducing mycotoxins contamination require [...]

Experts gather in Haikou, China to establish maximum limits for pesticide residues in food and feed. The 50th session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues began on Monday 9 April in Haikou, China and concludes Friday. Since 1966 the committee has established over 5000 Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticide residues covering 303 pesticides. Pesticides are used to protect crops against insects, weeds, fungi and other pests. Pesticides are potentially toxic to humans and can have both acute and chronic health [...]

Dr Martin Slayne -  International Council of Grocery Manufacturers Associations Global Head Scientific & Regulatory Affairs The Hershey Company  The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) provides a global forum for governments to harmonize regulatory management measures, based on common science, risk assessment and best practices. At the recent 12th meeting of the Committee, good progress was made in some areas, although a key observation when discussing the setting of Maximum Levels for contaminants was an increasing pattern of country [...]

The research group - the Health and Labour Science Research Grants, Research Program on Food Safety - Developing International Strategy for Food Safety Regulation based on International Food Standard-Setting Process in Japan –Japan – co-hosted by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Consumer Affairs Agency, and Policy Alternatives Research Institute of the University of Tokyo held its fifth annual Codex-related symposium at the University of Tokyo since 2013. More people and food traveling [...]