By Milagrosa Mondlane, Secretary, National Codex Committee, Eswatini Standards Authority

The Eswatini National Codex Committee (NCC) convened a national meeting on Friday 21 March 2025 at the Eswatini Standards Authority to review and plan strategic activities for the 2025/26 period. This critical session aimed to strengthen Eswatini’s engagement with the international Codex Alimentarius framework and ensure that national food safety and quality standards align with global best practices.

The discussions focused on reviewing past performance, identifying challenges, and setting priorities for the upcoming year. The Committee assessed its performance over the past year, particularly in enhancing food safety regulations, participating in Codex sessions, and implementing national food control systems. Key successes included improved stakeholder engagement and involvement as well as increased adoption and publication of Codex texts as national standards to foster effective implementation.

The Committee discussed a comprehensive roadmap for 2025/26, prioritizing activities that will enhance Eswatini’s contribution to Codex standards development and national implementation efforts. A key deliberation of the meeting was the discussion and prioritization of Codex committees of interest to address pressing food safety and quality concerns in Eswatini. Critical areas such as:

• Food hygiene
• Contaminants in food and agricultural products
• Food labeling and consumer information
• Pesticide residues and veterinary drug monitoring

The NCC reaffirmed its willingness and commitment to actively participate in Codex activities including regional events to ensure that Eswatini’s perspectives and interests are well represented in international food safety deliberations for the overall objective of protecting the health and safety of consumers while enabling trade to flow. The meeting also emphasized the importance of collaboration with regional partners to advance food safety and trade facilitation efforts in Eswatini.

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Photo © Milagrosa Mondlane