From the CCNE Secretariat The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE), in collaboration with the Arab Codex Initiative, continues to strengthen scientific coordination and regional engagement in Codex work through the establishment of regional expert working groups across priority technical areas relevant to Arab and Near East countries. The Arab Codex Initiative is implemented by the Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization (AIDSMO), in partnership with the Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS). The initiative aims to support more [...]

The 49th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) opened in Ottawa, Canada, with a warm welcome from Chairperson, Parthiban Muthukumarasamy, and opening remarks from Dr Celia Lourenco, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada. “Canada places a high importance on the work done by Codex. Like many of you, we believe that the work of Codex is imperative to achieving our national food safety, public health and consumer protection objectives,” said [...]

Seoul, Republic of Korea The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea hosted the fourth Asia-Pacific Food Regulatory Authority Summit (APFRAS 2026) in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 11–12 May 2026 under the theme “A Strategic Leap Toward the Asia-Pacific Food Regulatory Harmonization and Partnership.” The Summit brought together representatives of food regulatory authorities from 14 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, alongside three international organizations, to discuss emerging food safety challenges and opportunities for enhanced regional collaboration. [...]

The 37th session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) has concluded its meeting by correspondence by adopting the report of a fruitful meeting. A number of key decisions were made, and Norway made a key announcement regarding the hosting of the Committee. We asked the chairperson, Vigdis Synnøve Veum to tell us more. Vigdis, the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) reconvened by correspondence for its 37th session 7 April–7 May 2026. What were the [...]

As part of activities related to World Food Safety Day, Japan Food Safety Management Association (JFSM) conducted a lecture and workshop at Visayas State University in the Philippines. The programme was organized by the ASEAN FOOD Industries Human Resource Development Association (AFH) as a special endowment lecture. On 22 April 2026, JFSM Chairperson, Masanori Kotani, delivered a lecture titled “Enhance Food Integrity: Food Safety and Social Responsibilities through Food Chains.” The lecture introduced Japan’s approaches to good management practices (GMP), the [...]

Are you ready yet? There is just one month to go before World Food Safety Day, which will be celebrated on and around Sunday 7 June. The theme this year, “From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere” refers to the anticipated release by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the second report on the estimates of the global burden of foodborne disease (known as the FERG Report). In relation to the first FERG report published in 2015, this second edition [...]

The FAO-implemented Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project will share its experiences and challenges at the 6th Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (GCFA), an international platform that brings together experts and countries to exchange knowledge and advance global action on foodborne AMR. Launched in 2021, the ACT project supports countries in implementing Codex standards on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), developed in response to Members’ requests for guidance in addressing foodborne AMR. These Codex standards have gained strong [...]

The Codex electronic working groups handbook has now been published in all six United Nations languages. The handbook offers guidance and insight into the work and workings of these working groups – known by their initialism, as “EWGs”. “Electronic working groups play a key role in the standard-setting work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,” says Codex Secretary, Sarah Cahill, in the foreword to the publication. “It is in these groups that the foundations of many Codex standards, guidelines and codes of [...]

Pakistan is stepping up efforts to address foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most pressing threats to public health, food safety and sustainable agriculture, through a strengthened One Health approach discussed at a national conference in Islamabad. Held under the FAO-supported Action to Support Implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project, the two-day conference brought together more than 65 participants from federal and provincial governments, academia, laboratories and international organizations. The event focused on advancing coordinated, cross-sectoral action to address [...]

Dr Parthiban Muthukumarasamy, Director-General at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, has been Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) since 2024. He has represented Canada at both the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) and the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) and so has been involved firsthand in Codex work and has direct knowledge of the importance of international standards and guidance. We caught up with him to hear more about [...]