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codexalimentarius > News and Events

CCFO28/ “One of the most fruitful sessions of CCFO” concludes in Kuala Lumpur

The 28th session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO) adopted its meeting report on Friday 23 February having agreed on all agenda items. The meeting successfully concluded discussion on all five proposed new oils on the agenda and, in the words of Chairperson Ms Norrani Eksan, “We even managed to conclude discussion on the longstanding item of revision of the Standard for Olive Oils and Olive Pomace Oils, acknowledging more data will become available in the future,” [...]
23 February 2024

CCFO28 convenes in Malaysia to progress current work and consider future plans

The Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO) convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today at the start of its 28th session. The session was opened by Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly bin Ahmad, Minister of Health of Malaysia, who welcomed delegates back to the first in-person CCFO meeting since the virtual session held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The Minister congratulated Codex for 60 years of “laying the foundation of the safety and quality of food” and reminded delegates that [...]
19 February 2024

The updated General Standard for Food Additives database is now online

The General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) describes the conditions under which food additives may be used in all foods. It is the biggest document in the Codex Alimentarius and is updated each time the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopts new maximum levels (MLs) for the use of relevant food additives. Codex’s Food Standards Officer, Lingping Zhang, has this week distributed the update of the related GSFA database, an online tool that makes food additive MLs more accessible to Members. She has [...]
15 February 2024

CCFO28/ Interview with the Chairperson: “I look forward to a fruitful meeting in Kuala Lumpur!”

The 28th Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO) will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 19–23 February. As the meeting approaches, we spoke to Ms Norrani Eksan, Chairperson of this Codex subsidiary body. Appointed as CCFO Chairperson in 2020, Norrani is the Senior Director for Food Safety and Quality at the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Norrani, thanks for your time. Sixty years ago, a small drop of oil started a ripple called CCFO. Can you tell us more about [...]
13 February 2024

International Day for Women and Girls in Science: You are capable and will succeed!

Dr Evelyne Mbandi is the new Chairperson for the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene and a strong advocate for young women who want to pursue careers in the sciences. In recognition of the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, we asked Dr Mbandi how she became a scientist and why and how we should support young women who want to follow a scientific path. Q. Evelyne, can you tell us about where you grew up and how you came [...]
11 February 2024

World Pulses Day: celebrating powerful nutrients for soils and people – safely!

On 10 February, the FAO-hosted World Pulses Day will “raise public awareness about pulses and the fundamental role they play in the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.” Defined by FAO as “the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for both food and feed,” pulses include dry beans, lentils, dry peas and chickpeas. They are grown, eaten and traded the world [...]
08 February 2024

Validation workshop for study on the use of Codex standards in Benin

On 6 February 2024, a validation workshop on a study on the use of Codex Alimentarius standards in Benin took place in Cotonou, Benin. This workshop brought together members of the National Codex Alimentarius Committee, actors from the private and public sectors that use these standards, and consumer associations. The general objective of this study is to know the level of use of international Codex standards. Specifically, the aim was to identify the uses made of international Codex standards in [...]
07 February 2024

New videos demonstrate the impacts of the Codex Trust Fund

The Codex Trust Fund (CTF) supports low- and middle-income countries to participate more effectively in the work of Codex. The Fund is currently supporting over 30 projects across the world that will bolster national Codex structures and improve capacities to provide scientific data, to contribute to meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), its subsidiary bodies and working groups, and to ensure countries benefit from their membership of Codex to protect consumer health and increase access to fair trade. The CTF [...]
05 February 2024

CCSCH7 concludes first Codex meeting of the year and forwards three new standards for adoption

The seventh meeting of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH7), which is hosted by the Government of India, has concluded in Kochi, Kerala, India, with agreement to forward three texts to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for adoption, and to start new work on four different spices or culinary herbs. The Committee agreed to forward to CAC47 for final adoption the draft standard for dried small cardamom (at Step 8), the draft standard for spices in the form [...]
02 February 2024

CCSCH7 underway / Experts meet to discuss spice and culinary herbs in India

Codex Members and Observers gathered today for the seventh session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH7) in Kochi, Kerala, India. Dr. Shri. Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of India, welcomed the participants recalling that “India took the lead of establishing this committee ten years ago, in 2013”. During the opening ceremony, Ms Hilde Kruse,  Senior Food Standards Officer with the Codex Secretariat, recognized the importance of the work carried out by [...]
29 January 2024