From 16 to 18 January 2020, around 2 000 global experts from politics, industry, science and civil society are meeting at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin, Germany to discuss global key issues and to jointly develop solutions. The forum is looking at trade for global food security from all angles and is an opportunity to discuss how to shape international trade in order for it to provide secure, diverse and sustainable food and nutrition for [...]

The European Union (EU) is celebrating the 40 years of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Food safety is an issue of national and international significance, an issue that affects all countries and has a substantial impact on both public health and economic activity. Operating since 1979, RASFF is one of the great success stories of the EU’s integrated approach to food safety, showing the power of communication and collaboration. By providing a system for the swift exchange of [...]

Gyanendra Gongal, from Nepal, has recently been appointed WHO Regional Adviser for food safety in the WHO Regional Office for South East Asia (SEARO), the first time in two decades, in his words, that someone will be working full time on food safety in the region. His new role involves providing technical leadership, supporting the Codex Trust Fund (CTF), and working on policy advocacy, Codex, risk assessment, food safety emergency and INFOSAN activities. Why are you excited about the new position? There hasn’t [...]

Dr Mary Flynn and Oonagh Lyons Ireland is currently leading work in the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) on developing Codex nutrient reference values (NRVs) for persons aged 6 to 36 months. Dr Mary Flynn is Chief Specialist for Public Health Nutrition at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Ulster. Ms Oonagh Lyons is a Technical Executive at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland [...]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), held a workshop on Codex on 16 December 2019 in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. The workshop was the third in a series of initiatives which has included events in Cairo and Alexandria to support the Codex system in Egypt within the framework of the "Improving the National Food Control System” programme. Participants at Aswan workshop December 2019 The workshop aimed to raise [...]

Former Codex Chairperson Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet calls upon Burkina Faso to strengthen its national Codex and food safety structures during the 59th Independence Anniversary Celebrations Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet, former Chairperson of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission from 2014 to 2017 was invited to Burkina Faso to support high-level advocacy efforts in the country on food safety and Codex on the occasion of the 59th Independence Anniversary Celebrations, which took place on 11 December 2019. The objective of the advocacy was [...]

A consultative workshop on National Codex issues was organized on 6 December 2019 in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. The main objectives of the workshop were to discuss national food control systems, including Codex, and to begin preparation of a project proposal for the Codex Trust Fund. Mr Arefaine Berhe, Minister of Agriculture, who officially opened the session, told the Ministry of Information website shabait.com that food safety was central to survival and wellbeing and that regulating national food standard had [...]

FAO, in cooperation with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), held a workshop in Alexandria from 25-27 November 2019 entitled "Supporting Codex Capacity in Egypt" to strengthen the structure and program of Codex in Egypt, to improve the food import control system in the country in order to facilitate trade and ensure food safety. Workshop: "Supporting Codex Capacity in Egypt" The three-day workshop took place in the context of the public/private partnership, under the supervision of the Egyptian Codex Contact [...]

Lee Eui-kyung Minister of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea, opened the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), in Pyeongchang, underlining the need for bold action in order to conserve antibiotics for future generations. Minister Lee Eui-kyung urged delegates to move forward on their programme of work and complete the tasks assigned. “It's more crucial to have our recommendations and plans in place, than our plans themselves”, she said. Dr. Sangryeol Ryu, chairing TFAMR7 Due to the [...]

In opening remarks via video message to the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), taking place in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea from 9 to 13 December 2019, FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu will underline to delegates the importance of understanding where AMR is present and how to target it, as key to reducing the risks it poses. The work of the task force is an integral part of the food system transformation that FAO aims to achieve. Codex [...]