The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to our way of living, interacting and working. The way we have worked internationally to date has been turned on its head. With the cancellation of almost all physical Codex meetings for 2020, it is now essential to look to new ways of continuing the work. The 79th session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission successfully met virtually between 13 and 20th July 202. In the current context, if [...]

На 79-й сессии Исполнительного комитета Комиссии Кодекса Алиментариус (CCEXEC79) было рекомендовано направить тексты Кодекса по вопросам пищевой гигиены и контроля над пищевыми аллергенами, а также ряд региональных и всемирных товарных стандартов (от кавы до соуса чили, киви, чеснока и ямса), на утверждение в ходе очередной, 43-й сессии Комиссии (CAC43). Эта сессия пройдет в виртуальном формате в конце сентября, если члены Кодекса согласятся с условиями ее проведения, которые в настоящее время разрабатываются Секретариатом Кодекса совместно с ФАО и ВОЗ. В ходе CCEXEC79, [...]

The 12th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference, took place on Saturday 18 January 2020. The conference discussed how trade in food and agricultural commodities and trade in services for agriculture can contribute to achieving food security for the world's increasing population, enhancing nutrition and human health, improving farmers' livelihoods and income, and achieving more sustainable food systems to preserve the planet. The final communique from the conference called for trade policies to be part of a larger strategy (towards the improved [...]

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 [...]

Richard Boyd from The United States Department of Agriculture, Chairperson of CCPFV,  explains the innovative approach being taken to develop a range of standards and encourages members and observers to take part. Richard Boyd chairs CCPFV CCPFV will be starting its 29th session at a unique location – and all interested countries and recognized observers are invited to participate.  In accordance with the guidance of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, CCPFV is continuing its work by correspondence, and to do this, the committee [...]

A two-day training workshop for National Codex Committee (NCC) members and the officials of National Codex Contact Point (NCCP) of Bhutan was held from 15 to 16 October 2019 at Tashi Namgay Resort, Paro. The training workshop was organized by the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, with the main objective to enhance the participation of Bhutan in the work of Codex through training of officials, including NCC members and by examining key areas [...]

Following the recent meeting of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia (CCASIA), the Codex Secretariat learnt that Dr Yayoi Tsujiyama retired from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan at the beginning of October. Dr. Tsujiyama, has long been involved in many multilateral food safety fora including Codex, serving as Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) from 2014-2017 and as Coordinator for CCASIA from 2011 to 2014. During her service as Vice-Chairperson of CAC, she also led the [...]

The COP is intended to provide guidance to reduce the formation of 3-MCPDE and GE in refined oils and food products made with these oils by offering good management practices for application by national authorities, producers, manufacturers and other relevant bodies.   The forty-second Codex Alimentarius Commission held in Geneva, Switzerland 8-12 July 2019, adopted a Code of Practice (COP) for the reduction of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2- diol esters (3-MCPDE) and Glycidyl Esters (GE) in refined oils and food products made with refined oils. The [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted a new strategic plan for the period 2020-2025 to advance the mandate of Codex for the next five years, underpinning the high priority for food safety and quality that Members and the parent bodies FAO and WHO envisage for Codex in carrying out its responsibilities and unique purpose to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The plan highlights a new focus on promoting the relevance and use of Codex standards [...]

Speaking at the margins of CAC42 at a side event on capacity building initiatives, representatives of FAO and WHO emphasized the importance of the tools they develop based on relevant Codex texts, which enable countries to better understand and apply standards in their national context. The latest in the series is the Joint FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool, which has been piloted in numerous countries across several regions. “A system will only work if all its components are looking towards [...]