The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) has concluded its 54th session, which was held for the first time in Kenya, co-hosted by the United States of America and Kenya. At the conclusion of her first meeting as Committee Chairperson, Dr Evelyne Mbandi said she was delighted “on how we made progress through the items on our very full agenda.”

The agenda addressed the outstanding annexes to the two sets of CCFH guidelines adopted last November at the 46th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC46). The annexes for fresh leafy vegetables (Annex II) and for sprouts (Annex IV) to the Guidelines for the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC) in Raw Beef, Fresh Leafy Vegetables, Raw Milk and Raw Milk Cheeses, and Sprouts (CXG 99-2023) will both be forwarded at Step 5/8. Also, of the two outstanding annexes for the Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production (CXG 100-2023) annex III on dairy products will be forwarded to CAC47. The Committee agreed that annex II on fish and fishery products requires further consideration. In addition, CCFH agreed to work on a fourth annex intended to cover new technologies for recovery and treatment of water for reuse, and information related to water-fit-for-purpose assessment and water safety management.

The Committee agreed to forward the proposed draft revision on the Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73-2010) at Step 5, with outstanding issues surrounding water-related wording, which will be more easily resolved once annex II of the Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production (CXG 100-2023) are finalized.

There was overwhelming agreement on the importance of the proposed draft guidelines for food hygiene control measures in traditional markets for food, which the Committee has forwarded at Step 5/8.

New work was approved on a revision to the Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food (CXG 79-2012), a revision of Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78-2011) and a revision of Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Foods (CXG 61-2007).

With the adoption of the report Sarah Cahill from the Codex Secretariat highlighted the results reached by the Committee “After an intense week of work and deliberations, four texts were sent to final adoption, and one to Step 5, which once again proves the commitment of Members and Observers to the work of CCFH”. She also commended the work of the two CCFH teams, noting that co-hosting CCFH54 in Kenya “provided a superb opportunity to raise the profile of Codex in the region”.

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CCFH54 webpage