Throughout this year, Codex Members and Observers have celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which held its first meeting in June 1963.

Here’s a taster of what’s been happening around the world.

At the very start of the year, the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific met in Fiji and a celebration cake was enjoyed by delegates including Fiji’s Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, the Honourable Vatimi T. T. K Rayalu and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) Chairperson, Steve Wearne.

To mark the anniversary in March, the Codex Committee on Food Additives was treated to a spectacular dragon dance show by hosts, China, and in April, the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) also celebrated with cake in Utrecht, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Also in May, Finland’s government hosted a session at the country’s annual Food Industry Fair in the capital, Helsinki, titled “Codex – Far From Retirement”.

June marked the exact anniversary of the first Codex meeting, which took place in the week of 24 June 1963. Codex Costa Rica organized the illumination of key buildings around the country’s capital on 25 June. The Presidential Palace, the Foreign Ministry, the National Museum and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce building, where the Codex Secretariat of Costa Rica is located, were all illuminated in orange, “the emblematic colour of Codex and a visual symbol that evokes hope and optimism.”

On the occasion of the Republic of Korea’s World Food Safety Week, Dr Yu-Kyoung Oh, Minister of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea, congratulated Codex on the anniversary, and saying, “Food safety is a multifaceted issue that requires collaboration and cooperation among all stakeholders. In this regard, Codex provides the ideal platform for countries to convene, address shared concerns, and contribute to food safety.” In Poland, the Codex Contact Point launched a local language version of the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969). Spain’s Reference Conferences of the National Food Center (CNA) of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) coincided with CAC’s 60th anniversary, which was noted during the event. Codex Observer, the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) lit up their Copenhagen headquarters in orange.

Codex provides the ideal platform for countries to convene, address shared concerns, and contribute to food safety.

The Sultanate of Oman published a video, in which it declared its commitment to Codex, stating: “Together we aim to anchor our decision-making processes in food regulatory science, ultimately safeguarding consumer health.” Peru’s General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) organized a ceremony and conferences. In New Zealand, anniversary festivities at the New Zealand Parliament were attended by the Minister for Food Safety, Hon Rachel Brooking and the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Damien O’Connor. Japan joined the celebrations by organizing an online symposium “Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission – looking 10 years ahead to ensure international food safety.”

In September, Egypt celebrated its 50th anniversary of Codex membership and Codex’s 60th anniversary and, in Azerbaijan, the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency included a celebration of Codex. In the same month, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) joined the global celebrations while Japan, China, Chile and Georgia joined the celebrations in October and November.

If you haven’t celebrated yet, it’s not too late! Tell us about how you have celebrated or how you plan to celebrate – we would welcome news and photos! Email: [email protected]

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Events, news and resources for Codex@60

Photo © MEIC-Costa Rica