As we gear up for this year’s celebrations, the World Food Safety Day team has put together a “Programme of events” outlining the different activities being organized by FAO, WHO and Codex to expand on the 2026 theme “From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere”. The programme is posted on the homepage of the World Food Safety Day website. World Food Safety Day this year is led by WHO and focuses on the release of the updated WHO estimates of [...]

The Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project successfully held its closure meeting on 14 May 2026 in Seoul, Republic of Korea, bringing together donor representatives, colleagues from FAO headquarters and regional offices, country teams, and Korean official development assistance experts to review the project’s achievements and discuss future directions for sustainable antimicrobial resistance (AMR) management. Launched in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea, the ACT [...]

A successful 49th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling has concluded in Ottawa, Canada. Upon adoption of the session report, Chairperson Parthiban Muthukumarasamy congratulated the delegates for the week’s achievements. “I would like to highlight what truly defines this committee,” he said. “The spirit and the cooperation throughout this week; we have seen open dialogue, respect for different perspectives, and the willingness to find common ground. This is not always easy and particularly when addressing issues that intersect [...]

The 49th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) opened in Ottawa, Canada, with a warm welcome from Chairperson, Parthiban Muthukumarasamy, and opening remarks from Dr Celia Lourenco, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada. “Canada places a high importance on the work done by Codex. Like many of you, we believe that the work of Codex is imperative to achieving our national food safety, public health and consumer protection objectives,” said [...]

The 37th session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) has concluded its meeting by correspondence by adopting the report of a fruitful meeting. A number of key decisions were made, and Norway made a key announcement regarding the hosting of the Committee. We asked the chairperson, Vigdis Synnøve Veum to tell us more. Vigdis, the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) reconvened by correspondence for its 37th session 7 April–7 May 2026. What were the [...]

Are you ready yet? There is just one month to go before World Food Safety Day, which will be celebrated on and around Sunday 7 June. The theme this year, “From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere” refers to the anticipated release by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the second report on the estimates of the global burden of foodborne disease (known as the FERG Report). In relation to the first FERG report published in 2015, this second edition [...]

The Codex electronic working groups handbook has now been published in all six United Nations languages. The handbook offers guidance and insight into the work and workings of these working groups – known by their initialism, as “EWGs”. “Electronic working groups play a key role in the standard-setting work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,” says Codex Secretary, Sarah Cahill, in the foreword to the publication. “It is in these groups that the foundations of many Codex standards, guidelines and codes of [...]

Dr Parthiban Muthukumarasamy, Director-General at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, has been Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) since 2024. He has represented Canada at both the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) and the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) and so has been involved firsthand in Codex work and has direct knowledge of the importance of international standards and guidance. We caught up with him to hear more about [...]

Natural disasters have caused around USD 3 trillion in agricultural losses over the past 30 years and continue to trigger public health crises linked to unsafe food and water. To address these risks, FAO is hosting a webinar on 7 May 2026, focused on managing food safety in natural disaster settings.  The event will feature technical experts sharing practical experiences and will highlight key challenges and lessons learned that can serve as models for others. Additionally, new FAO infographics and guidance for consumers facing natural disasters will be officially introduced.  Taking [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is set to reach another significant milestone as the joint Electronic Working Group (EWG) of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) and the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) meets virtually on 28–29 April 2026. This first‑ever virtual joint working group brings together CCPR and CCRVDF in a coordinated effort to advance the harmonization of maximum residue limits (MRLs) for dual‑use compounds - chemicals that may be used either as [...]