The 4th Global Conference on Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (GCFA) will take place September 24–25 2024, in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. Hosted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) since 2021, the conference aims to raise awareness about foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to call for concrete action. The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT) project, will be presented at this year's conference, which is a demonstration of Korea's efforts to [...]

The FAO-implemented and Republic of Korea-funded Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts - or ACT - project is being implemented in six countries. One of the project countries is Nepal, where the significant poultry sector, which contributes four percent to the country’s gross domestic product, is thought to be one of the main drivers of foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as a result of the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Expenditure on antimicrobials is rapidly increasing in the sector, [...]

The Government of Suriname hosted the Conference of the Caribbean Food Safety Task Force 10–12 September 2024, where more than one hundred participants from across the food chain in the region, including policymakers, international technical experts, Codex Contact Points, members of the Caribbean Food Safety Task Force, and representatives from the food industry, gathered in the country’s capital, Paramaribo. The focus of the meeting was "Food Safety in a Changing Climate: Safe Food, Healthy People, Stronger Communities". This event was jointly [...]

The 27th meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS27) has opened in Cairns, Australia, With remote participation possible for all plenary sessions. “It is my great pleasure and honour to be the new Chairperson of CCFICS and to have the task of guiding the Committee through its 27th meeting,” said the newly appointed Chairperson, Tom Black, Australia, who introduced the speakers that opened the meeting. Welcome remarks were given by Gavin Singleton, Yirrganydji Traditional [...]

The Coordinator for Near East, Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), is conducting a three-day workshop, 10-12 September 2024, in Riyadh, titled “Empowering the Region for Codex Compliance”. The workshop is part of a series of regional trainings held by Saudi Arabia to support participation of Members of the region in Codex activities and highlight the importance of Codex work among different stakeholders. In welcoming the participants, H.E. Prof. Hisham Saad AL Jadhey, CEO of [...]

 By the Codex Contact Points of the European Union, France, Germany and the United States of America A high-level event titled “Celebrating Codex Alimentarius: A U.S.-EU Commitment to Safe Food” took place on 5th September at the French Embassy to the United States of America. The unprecedented gathering was jointly organized by the United States, the European Union, France, and Germany to provide a platform for the transatlantic partners to reflect on their collaboration and reaffirm their commitment to upholding international [...]

In a bid to help countries address the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), FAO developed an Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021–2025. The Plan outlines five key areas of focus – of which one aims at supporting countries to strengthen surveillance and research for evidence-based decisions on AMR in the food and agriculture sectors. This work is now aided by the newly launched International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring (InFARM) system, which helps countries improve capacities to collect, collate, analyse, [...]

A new success story has been published highlighting some achievements of the Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project in the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The ACT project is working to help six countries improve surveillance, governance, awareness and best practices to minimize and contain foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This success story focuses on the establishment by the Government of Bolivia of a multisectoral AMR containment committee, CC-RAM, and efforts by various stakeholders to improve surveillance and monitoring [...]

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia On 29 August 2024, a significant workshop was held virtually at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). The workshop focused on the experiences and practices of the Codex Contact Point and the Codex Coordination Advisory Committee in Saudi Arabia, with the aim of sharing insights with various food and health sectors from the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dr Eva Alzian from the WHO Regional Office delivered an in-depth presentation on regional food safety issues, highlighting the importance of [...]

A pre-session webinar has been organized in advance of the upcoming 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) to give delegates the chance to better understand how to actively participate in the meeting, which will be held in Cairns, Australia, with virtual participation also possible via Zoom. The webinar will be moderated by the Codex Secretariat, who will introduce the new CCFICS Chairperson, Tom Black, a regular and well-known contributor to CCFICS [...]