The atmosphere in the Codex Secretariat, if it is possible to describe a virtual atmosphere, was one of cautious optimism as work on the Guidelines for the Monitoring and Surveillance of Foodborne AMR paused on Wednesday 6 October 2021 and fresh discussions on the Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance took centre stage.

Chairperson Professor Yong Ho Park has led the task force through much of the draft text and has been working in tandem with Rosa Perán, The Netherlands — chairperson of the electronic working group (EWG) —  who is also physically present in Buyeo, Republic of Korea. Assisted by the EWG co-chairpersons, technical experts who have been fundamental in moving the discussions forward, the emphasis has been on gradually refining the text into a form that the whole task force can reach consensus on if the guideline is to progress for adoption at the Codex Alimentarius Commission in November this year. "The task force has been working in a spirit of cooperation and I believe we have made steady progress so far, said Perán.

Gracia Brisco, Codex Secretariat, said: “We are encouraged that a positive spirit of collaboration is currently prevailing, mindful of the support and sense of urgency we have received at all levels to bring this work to a conclusion on time”.

The Chairperson of the EWG for the second text under discussion, the code of practice, Donald Prater, United States, supported by the co-chairpersons from Chile, China, Kenya and the United Kingdom, reminded delegates in a Conference Room Document published Wednesday that the current draft contains many important advancements in AMR risk management that have been agreed by extensive discussion, careful drafting, and compromise, with a single issue, therapeutic use, remaining for discussion.

The task force completes its meeting on Wednesday 13 October.

Learn more

Agenda, documents and reports as they become available on the TFAMR08 meeting page

Codex work on AMR

FAO and AMR

Photo credit: © Codex Office Republic of Korea

(left to right in Buyeo: Donald Prater, Jaewoo Park, Yong Ho Park, Rosa Perán)