People involved in the various activities along the food supply chain came together in Kwanghwamoon Square in Seoul, Korea on 10 May to celebrate the 18^th of Korean Food Safety Day. This initiative kicks off the numerous celebrations that promise to mark the newly established World Food Safety Day.

Lee Eui Kyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea said, “The World Food Safety Day is a great achievement of international collaboration”, which will highlight that “food safety is everybody’s business” on 7 June.

 “The food safety agenda is as important today as it was 56 years ago when Codex was established,” said Tom Heilandt, Codex Secretary.

He also underscored that “efforts like the Korean Food Safety Day, which have been made by many countries, helped make the case for World Food Safety Day”.

Among the Korean Food Safety Day events was a symposium called ‘Prevention and Control of Foodborne Viruses’, where Eui Kyungtold told the audience that ‘the threat of Norovirus is not seasonal anymore but endemic and a global burden, so international collaborative effort is strongly recommended.’

In his keynote speech, Heilandt introduced the international food standard-setting efforts by the 180 Codex Member countries and Observer organizations, emphasizing that “Codex standards are useful to the prevention and control of Norovirus.” He strongly encouraged full implementation of Codex standards.

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World Food Safety Day webpage

Korean Food Safety Day website (Korean only)