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CCAFRICA25 agrees on actions for furthering food safety and standards in the region

01/02/2025

The 25th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa has concluded, following in-depth discussions on topics of regional concern and on new work proposals, and with the nomination of the Gambia as the new Regional Coordinator.

“I think we have been very accommodating to each other, to ensure we have been able to work swiftly through this session, to have documents that will be proceeding to the next stages,” said the Chairperson, Hakim Mufumbiro, upon adoption of the meeting report. Several delegations joined Mufumbiro in thanking FAO, WHO, and the Codex Secretariat for their support to food standards setting in the region. A number of delegations also congratulated the Chairperson and Uganda for their leadership of CCAFRICA, and the Gambia for having been elected to succeed Uganda.

Topics of regional concern were outlined by the representatives for WHO, on behalf of FAO and WHO, and the African Union (AU). The Representative of WHO highlighted ongoing issues such as antimicrobial resistance, aflatoxins, pesticide residues and weak food control systems. Emerging issues under discussion also included food fraud, emerging contaminants affecting the environment and food safety such as microplastics, as well as water availability. The FAO/WHO Food Control Assessment Tool was acknowledged as important. The AU reported on the progress of the food safety strategy for Africa. The Committee agreed on the need to engage further with regional Codex Observers to identify ways of moving towards alignment of activities with priority agrifood sectors in the region. The issue of working towards better data gathering in the region was also identified as a priority.

CCAFRICA25 discussed two new work proposals, each of them prepared by Senegal, one for a standard for kethiakh, which is braised or boiled dried fish, and one for tiacry, a regional commodity of precooked cereal vegetable granules. There were extensive discussions on the subject, and the Codex Secretariat gave advice regarding the standards development options, which include developing either an international or a regional standard, each of which has their own implications. The discussions concluded with agreement to start new work on the development of a regional standard for braised or boiled, salted and unsalted, dried fish, and to forward the project document to the 48th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for approval. Further work will be done on the proposal for tiacry.

The agenda also included discussion of the implementation of the current Codex Strategic Plan 2020–2025 and issues relevant to the newly adopted Strategic Plan 2026–2031. Zambia reported on the work of the in-session working group (IWG) on the implementation of the new strategic plan, which, it was concluded was generally well received within the region. It was agreed to create an electronic working group to work on an implementation plan for the new Strategic plan. The meeting identified a number of additional priorities for the region, which include capacity development and the promotion or advocacy of Codex, the need for data sharing and One Health.

Three side events were organized for the meeting and were very well attended and offered more information on key topic areas. These explored ideas around Consumer food safety education and advocacy including through digital platforms: Opportunities and challenges, organized by Kenya, Strengthening Food Control Systems to Support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), presented by FAO, and Effective Regulation through Harmonization of Food AdditivesSstandards in Africa: FAO/WHO Risk Assessment Approach as a Sound Basis for Regulatory and Policy Decisions", organized by the East African Business Council (EABC) and International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST).

In acknowledging their nomination as Regional Coordinator and thanking the Committee, the delegate for the Gambia said: “The Gambia stands committed to the ideas of CCAFRICA … and we will ensure that we will continue to work with each and every Member Country to move the agenda of CCAFRICA.” The delegate for the United States of America reflected the views of many when he addressed the Chairperson to say “we’d like to congratulate you, Hakim, for your tireless work and dedication. You have been an incredible Chair and CCAFRICA is very lucky to have had you.”

Codex Secretary, Sarah Cahill, poses with the delegation of The Gambia.Codex Secretary, Sarah Cahill, poses with the delegation of The Gambia.

Read more

CCAFRICA25 webpage
NTV Uganda - Africa pushes for common standards to boost trade (YouTube)