By Anne Beutling, CCUERO Coordinator

At the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), held in Berlin from 14 to 17 January 2026 at the beginning of Green Week, agriculture ministers from 59 countries adopted a joint communiqué highlighting the need to improve water efficiency in agriculture while fully safeguarding food safety and public health. Alongside, high-level representatives from 13 International Organisations, including FAO and WTO, took part in the Agriculture Ministers’ Conference.

In this context, ministers explicitly encouraged the use of internationally agreed guidance, including the Codex Guidelines for the safe use and reuse of water in food production and processing (CXG 100-2023). This reference underscores the importance of science-based Codex texts in supporting sustainable water management practices across food production and processing. The development of the guidelines, including a recently finalised annex on fisheries and aquaculture developed by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), was led by the European Union with broad engagement and contributions from Codex Members and Observers.

The Codex guidelines provide risk-based, practical guidance on the safe use and reuse of water of different qualities in food production and processing. They support competent authorities and food business operators in identifying fit-for-purpose water sources, applying preventive measures and controls, and ensuring that water reuse practices do not compromise food safety, including in specific sectors such as fisheries.

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About GFFA: https://www.gffa-berlin.de/en/gffa-homepage/

Full Text Communiqué: https://msc.gffa-berlin.de/app/uploads/sites/5/2026/01/GFFA-2026-ENG-Final-Communique.pdf

Photo credit: 2026 Photothek komm komm