In one of the first events to take place on World Food Safety Day itself, the National Standardization Agency of Indonesia and the National Codex Committee of Indonesia hosted a hybrid physical and virtual event.

The event, attended by at least 260 people online and a full venue in Jakarta, was opened by the Head of the National Standardization Agency and Chairman of the Codex Committee of Indonesia, Kukuh S Achmad. Achmad then delivered opening remarks, speaking about Codex Alimentarius and the importance of international standards at both a domestic and an international level.

Professor FG Winarno, former Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (1991-1995) then gave a keynote speech about Jamu, a traditional Indonesian drink made of ginger, turmeric, lemon and honey. “This is our heritage”, he said. Many believe the drink even has medicinal properties and Professor Winarno took this opportunity to talk about the importance of Jamu in the context of a safe and healthy diet that helps people maintain their fitness and wellbeing.

Following the keynote speech, attendees listened to a pre-recorded video message from the chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne. Wearne said he sees Codex as a place where the world comes together to develop food standards to protect everyone. Food safety is essential, he said, but one in ten falls ill from foodborne disease every year and the burden of these illnesses is comparable to the global burden of malaria. “But” he continued, “foodborne disease is preventable”.

The final presentation was from Professor Purwiyatno Hariyadi, former Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and author of a book about Codex Alimentarius: “Codex Alimentarius: International food standards for consumer health protection and fair trade practices”. Hariyadi spoke in detail about the contents of the book and various aspects of Codex work.

There then followed a panel discussion moderated by Roy Sparringha, Chairperson of the Indonesian Food Safety Professionals Association (APKEPI), with contributions from Rita Endang, Deputy of Processed Food Supervision, BPOM, Dyah Palupi, Director of Standardization and Quality Control, Ministry of Trade and Adhi Lukman, General Chairperson, Association of Food and Beverage Producers, Indonesia.