As Codex Members and Observers prepare to take part in the first ever virtual session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which starts on 24 September 2020, the Codex Secretariat has organized a training webinar to prepare delegates for the online meeting. This webinar will take place on Friday 11 September 2020, at 12.00 (CET). Delegates will hear from the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Guilherme Da Costa and from Codex Secretary, Tom Heilandt, how it was possible to arrange for [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic will have an unprecedented impact on global and regional trade. According to the World Trade Organization, world merchandise trade in 2020 could fall by as much as 32 percent. New policy guidance, part of the FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme, describes how the current economic recession is raising serious concerns about hunger and malnutrition. It goes on to explain how ad-hoc trade restrictions, including food safety measures that may not be science based, have worsened the situation [...]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service is recognizing September as Food Safety education Month and encouraging consumers to follow good food safety practices to protect themselves and their families from foodborne illness. The guidance reminds consumers they should follow four simple steps for food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. Read the USDA press release here. Learn more about the four steps at Foodsafety.gov.  

Roberto Azevêdo was the sixth Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), serving from September 2013. In May 2020 he announced that he would be stepping down on 31 August of this year. Codex food safety standards, guidelines and codes of practice are designated by the WTO as the international benchmarks under its Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. Codex Chairperson Guilherme Da Costa, Brazil, said: “I had the privilege of working directly with Ambassador Roberto Azevêdo from 2010 to 2012 when I [...]

The African Union is hosting a webinar on Wednesday 2 September 14-17h East Africa Time (GMT +3) entitled "Healthy Crops, Safe Food and Thriving Trade: Opportunities for Africa". Click here to download the programme (English), (French). Click here to register. 

El secretario del Codex, Tom Heilandt, confirmó hoy que la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius celebrará su primera reunión virtual en 2020. El 43.° período de sesiones de la CAC, cuya celebración estaba inicialmente prevista en Roma durante el mes de julio, ahora se llevará a cabo en el ciberespacio, respetando los valores de inclusión y transparencia del Codex. Antes del plazo del 23 de agosto (CET), ciento treinta y seis miembros del Codex habían manifestado su apoyo a la celebración de este [...]

This year’s World Food Safety Day’s theme was Food Safety Everyone’s Business. The Authority adopted this theme to conduct a campaign on food safety. Several health reports indicate that there has been arise in the number of food borne illnesses globally, this campaign is therefore aimed at raising awareness on the risks people are exposed to through consuming unsafe food. It is also to boost safety measures for consumption of food among the general public, detecting and managing of food [...]

On 10 August 2020, the WHO Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with the Eurasian Economic Commission organized a webinar on veterinary drug residues in food of animal origin – a public health issue. Dr Igor Gaevskii, Director of the Department for Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Measures, Eurasian Economic Commission opened the webinar. He stressed that veterinary drug residues in food is an issue of concern and that the webinar provided an opportunity to share experiences between countries in East [...]

Hoy se invitó a los miembros del Codex a aprobar la celebración del primer período de sesiones virtual de la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius (en adelante la Comisión). La pandemia de la enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) provocó la cancelación de todas las reuniones presenciales de los comités del Codex de este año, y la Secretaría del Codex, junto con la presidencia y las vicepresidencias de la Comisión, las presidencias de los comités y los países anfitriones, han trabajado activamente para [...]

El 28 de julio de 2020, las delegaciones de 85 miembros y 40 observadores del Codex se reunieron por medios virtuales en lo que puede considerarse una prueba para el 43.° período de sesiones de la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius, previsto para septiembre de 2020. Tras el éxito de la reunión virtual del Comité Ejecutivo, la comunidad del Codex está comenzando a entender lo que se necesitará, cómo prepararse y qué esperar de una Comisión virtual. “La pandemia de COVID-19 plantea [...]