On 14 November 2024, Food Industry Asia (FIA) organized a capacity building workshop as part of its annual Members Day event. The session emphasized the critical role of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in harmonizing international food trade and ensuring food safety. Over 70 senior representatives from the food industry across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand attended the event, which was held in Singapore.

The workshop aimed to enhance participants' understanding of Codex principles and procedures. In-depth sharing on the latest developments within several key Codex committees were led by experts, including the Codex Secretary, Sarah Cahill, Codex Alimentarius Commission Vice-Chairperson, Raj Rajasekar, and former Codex Alimentarius Commission Chairperson, Sanjay Dave. The importance of multi-stakeholder engagement, particularly industry involvement, was highlighted throughout the event to ensure that the standards developed are science-based, risk-based, practical, and address real-world issues. There were also many discussions around the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), such as methods to support the international evaluation process, and how JECFA can be resourced to ensure it can effectively manage its high workload associated with food additives, contaminants and veterinary drug residues.

A highlight of the session was an immersive Codex plenary simulation which include a ‘pretend’ top table of Steve Crossley (Committee Chairperson), Sanjay Dave (Codex Secretariat) and Joanna Skinner (FAO/WHO Expert). Participants were divided into groups representing different country delegations and observer organizations to discuss a simplified allergen labelling discussion paper, with consensus being reach … well almost!. This simulation provided a firsthand experience of the dynamics and challenges involved in international standards setting.

Overall, the workshop highlighted the importance of industry’s active participation in Codex to ensure that Codex standards are feasible and evidence-based, thereby protecting consumer health and facilitating fair practices in trade.

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