The latest edition of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual has been published online. This publication defines Codex’s Rules of Procedure, the procedures for the elaboration of the Codex Alimentarius, and the guidelines for the operation of Codex committees. It also sets a precedent for Codex’s other written materials. “This latest version underscores our commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring the Codex Procedural Manual remains a consistent and reliable guide for our work” said Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary. “As usual, discussions regarding the Codex [...]

Pakistan has successfully developed its 2nd National Action Plan (NAP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which will be active to 2028. AMR presents a growing threat to global health, food safety, and sustainable development. Recognizing the urgent need to address this challenge, as reconfirmed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance 2024, the FAO-supported Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project has extended vital support to the Government of Pakistan in strengthening [...]

The 55th session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA55), convening in Seoul on 24 March, with physical working groups meeting on 21–22 March, will bring together leading experts to address the evolving challenges of food safety and additive regulation. We sat down with Dr Fan Yongxian, Professor of the China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), and Committee Chairperson, and Prof. Hae Jung Yoon, a seasoned JECFA expert and co-Chairperson of CCFA55, to discuss the meeting’s priorities, [...]

A consultation meeting, held on 12 March, has heard a report on the progress of the FAO-implemented Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project over the last year. In the meeting, the ACT project team detailed to representatives from the project donor, the Republic of Korea, the activities and achievements that took place in 2024. The project aims at improving monitoring and surveillance, governance and awareness of foodborne AMR and is being implemented in Bolivia (Plurinational State [...]

On 17 February 2025, the Main Inspectorate of Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (MIAFQI) organized a seminar titled "Security, Europe! The Role of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission in ensuring food safety and Poland's EU presidency." The event, held at MIAFQI headquarters in Warsaw, was part of the initiatives under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The seminar was addressed to students at secondary agricultural schools supervised by the Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, [...]

The theme for this year’s World Food Safety Day celebrations has been unveiled! It is – Food safety: science in action. The theme recognizes the key role played by science in ensuring the credibility and accuracy of food safety guidance and advice used by governments, food businesses and consumers alike. However, the theme goes further, by reminding us that food can only be safe if the guidance and advice is put into action. For this reason, the World Food Safety Day slogan [...]

Madame Adana Maimouna heads up a 1200-member shea butter cooperative society in Nahouri province, Burkina Faso. Every member of her cooperative is a woman. The shea butter sector is dominated by women, who make up 98 percent of the entrepreneurs within the supply chain in countries across West Africa. According to Adana, the income women earn from working in the shea butter sector allows them both to support their families and to contribute to the development of their communities. Since the adoption [...]

An event was jointly organized 19 February by the Food and Veterinary Agency of North Macedonia and FAO to promote and highlight the key role of Codex standards in protecting consumer health and facilitating fair practices in the food trade. The meeting, which was attended by 40 representatives from key institutions from across North Macedonia, aimed to help the country’s National Codex Committee raise awareness about Codex among key stakeholders, as part of a Codex Trust Fund (CTF) project. In a [...]

Stand by for the 7 March launch of World Food Safety Day 2025! The World Food Safety Day team is working to launch a “Get started Toolkit” which will be available in all six United Nations languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and will provide information about this year’s theme, and the posters, social media cards and other assets you will be able to use to organize, participate in and promote World Food Safety Day activities this year. As [...]

The 23rd session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) has concluded in Mexico City, with the much-anticipated proposed standard for fresh dates finally agreed after ten years of discussion. The proposed text will be forwarded to the next Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) meeting for adoption. Chairperson, Andrea Genoveva Solano Rendon, hailed the successes of the week-long meeting: “We have had the opportunity of debating, of discussing and progressing standards that will rule the trade of one of [...]