With three sessions of CAC43 already completed, ten standards and six new work proposals have been adopted by the Commission, meeting for the first time ever virtually. Over 120 Members and more than 50 Observer organizations have participated so far and the next plenary session will be on Monday 12 October, 12:00 CET. Listed below are the standards, guidelines and codes of practice that will be adopted into the Codex Alimentarius and the proposals for new work that have been approved. As [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission approved a standard for kava products for use as a beverage when mixed with water today. “The work started way back in 2004 in Apia, Samoa, and has taken 16 years to get here,” explained the representative of Vanuatu on behalf of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and South West Pacific (CCNASWP), the region where the standard will be used. Kava is part of the culture and the economy of the Pacific Islands. The root of [...]

Today Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt confirmed that the Codex Alimentarius Commission will hold its first ever virtual meeting in 2020. The 43rd Session of CAC, originally planned for July in Rome, will now take place in cyberspace while respecting the values of inclusivity and transparency of Codex. One hundred and thirty six Codex Members had endorsed the virtual session by the deadline of 23rd August (CET) exceeding the two thirds majority required for the virtual session to go ahead. [...]

Today Codex Members were invited to endorse the first virtual session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of all physical meetings of Codex Committees for this year and the Codex Secretariat together with the Chairperson and Vice-chairpersons of the Commission, Committee chairpersons and host countries have worked actively to find ways to ensure work continuity. With the support of the Codex Members, electronic working groups of subsidiary bodies are continuing their work and a [...]

“Not only was this session the first full Codex committee meeting held by correspondence, it also took place during the very challenging and unexpected COVID-19 pandemic.” reflected Richard Boyd, Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV) as he concluded the 29th Session of the CCPFV on July 29th 2020.  Having worked by correspondence from January to July 2020, the Committee proposed five standards for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. These include standards for dried fruits, [...]

Delegations from 85 Codex Members and 40 Observers met up virtually on 28th July 2020 in what may come to be seen as a trial run for the 43rd session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission planned for September 2020. Following on from the successful Executive Committee virtual meeting, the Codex community is now beginning to understand what will be needed, how to prepare and what to expect from a virtual Commission. “The COVID-19 pandemic unquestionably presents an era-defining challenge to public [...]

The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to our way of living, interacting and working. The way we have worked internationally to date has been turned on its head. With the cancellation of almost all physical Codex meetings for 2020, it is now essential to look to new ways of continuing the work. The 79th session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission successfully met virtually between 13 and 20th July 202. In the current context, if [...]

The 79th session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC79) has recommended that key Codex texts on food hygiene and the management of food allergens, together with a series of regional and worldwide commodity standards – from kava to chilli sauce, kiwifruit, garlic and yam – be sent for adoption at the next Commission session: CAC43. This session will go ahead virtually starting late September if Codex members give their consent to the modalities currently under development [...]

The 12th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference, took place on Saturday 18 January 2020. The conference discussed how trade in food and agricultural commodities and trade in services for agriculture can contribute to achieving food security for the world's increasing population, enhancing nutrition and human health, improving farmers' livelihoods and income, and achieving more sustainable food systems to preserve the planet. The final communique from the conference called for trade policies to be part of a larger strategy (towards the improved [...]

Dr Mary Flynn and Oonagh Lyons Ireland is currently leading work in the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) on developing Codex nutrient reference values (NRVs) for persons aged 6 to 36 months. Dr Mary Flynn is Chief Specialist for Public Health Nutrition at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Ulster. Ms Oonagh Lyons is a Technical Executive at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland [...]