The 12th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East has concluded in Muscat, Oman. In wrapping up Waleed Al-ma’amari, Codex Contact Point, the Sultanate of Oman, thanked everyone involved in the meeting for their collaboration, which “contributed directly to the successes of the 12th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East”. That this meeting is the first in the region for 10 years reinforces the “commitment of the Sultanate of Oman and CCNE Members [...]

In an effort to create awareness among the high-level decision and policy makers in the country, the Republic of South Sudan organized a National Workshop on Advocacy and dissemination of food safety policy briefs on 23 September 2025. On 24 September, a National stakeholders Consultation Workshop on Codex priority Standards and establishment of National Codex Mirror committees was also convened. Both workshps were convened in Juba, Republic of South Sudan, with support from the Codex Trust Fund. The workshops were officially [...]

The Codex Secretariat has launched the 2025 Members' survey on the “Use and impact of Codex texts” and, concurrently, released the report of the 2024 survey findings. This marks the fourth cycle of the survey, which helps Codex gain a deeper understanding of how its Members apply standards, guidelines, and codes of practice. This information is crucial for ensuring the protection of consumer health and facilitating fair practices in the global food trade. This year’s edition introduces two updates: regional standards [...]

Foresight is an essential tool for early identification of emerging food safety issues – including challenges and opportunities – driven by societal, economic, political, legal, environmental, scientific, and technological factors. A new report, Food safety foresight: approaches to identify future food safety issues, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), presents a collection of food safety foresight approaches shared by experts from governments, international organizations, research institutes, universities, and the private sector. The findings of the [...]

The 12th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East has opened in Muscat, Oman – the first time this Committee has met in the region for more than 10 years. “But today we meet again,” said Dr Hussein bin Samh al Masroori, Director-General of the Centre for Food Safety and Quality in Oman, in his welcome remarks, “not only to continue the journey, but also to chart a more ambitious future for food safety and quality in [...]

The 23rd session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia has concluded in Nanning. The meeting afforded the opportunity to regional Members of discussing several issues relevant to the region, as well as to progress standards-setting work. Wrapping up the meeting, Chairperson, Aya Orito Nozawa said “we are a family, and I hope we can continue to collaborate with each and keep in touch.” In a final intervention, the delegate from the Republic of Korea also focused on the close relationships [...]

A new country story has been published showcasing the benefits of the Codex Trust Fund (CTF). In it, the former Codex Contact Point for Burkina Faso, Sansan Cyrille Régis Kambire, tells how, having succeeded in his application to the CTF, he executed the project to the benefit of his country: “I feel the country has now started to catch up with others when it comes to Codex,” he says. “Catching up with others” involved learning from fellow African states that have [...]

Oman is set to host the 12th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East (CCNE12), which will take place in Muscat from 28 September to 2 October 2025. This marks the first time in over a decade that the meetingwill be held in the region, with its new Chairperson, Intisar Al-Gharibi, at the helm. In this new role, Intisar Al-Gharibi aims to foster a new era of engagement and collaboration: her goal is to ensure the Near East becomes a [...]

The 23rd session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia has opened in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, hosted by Japan for the first time in their role as Regional Coordinator, and co-hosted by China.  Chairperson, Aya Orito Nozawa introduced the guests, who included Jianxin Tian, Deputy Director-General from Department of Food Safety standards, risk Surveillance and Assessment, National Health Commission, China, Jing Tian, Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Sridhar Dharmapuri from FAO Regional Office for Asia and the [...]

Experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from across Uzbekistan and abroad gathered on 23 September 2025 in Tashkent for a workshop on harmonization of the national food safety regulatory framework with Codex Alimentarius. The event sought to strengthen Uzbekistan’s role in Codex Alimentarius and to encourage greater alignment of national regulations with international food safety standards. The workshop opened with welcome remarks by the hosts represented respectively by Mr Nurmat Atabekov, First Deputy Chairman of the Uzbekistan Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiologic Welfare [...]