Following his confirmation as the new United States of America Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety, Emilio Esteban, Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) sent a brief message to the Codex Secretariat. Throughout my tenure in Codex I have been extremely lucky to have worked with extraordinary people. Great minds and kind hearts that shared a common goal. Professionals that are willing to understand the value of science and balance that with the reality that exists in [...]

As 2022 draws to a close, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, United Kingdom looks back on the outcome of the 45th Commission meeting. How would you describe the outcome of your first Commission and the return to a physical meeting? The return to physical was marked for me by the incredible positive energy when people met on the first day, many for the first time in two or three years.  I saw this energy sustained through the animated [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted a series of new food safety standards at its 45th session which drew to a close on 13 December 2022. Eleven new texts include guidelines on ready-to-use therapeutic foods and on the management of biological foodborne outbreaks; a code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in cocoa beans, and six new commodity standards. The Commission also established 476 new maximum residue limits for pesticides and 13 maximum levels for contaminants. For [...]

The latest edition of the Codex magazine has been published to coincide with the 43rd Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) taking place from 21-25 November 2022 in Rome. CODEX – a year in transition, tells the story of the core activities that take place between one Commission and the next and that lead to CAC45 being able to set over 20 standards protecting consumer health and facilitating trade. Contributions from all regions, all committees and all the people in the Codex world make [...]

Food production, processing and trading technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Consequently the Codex Alimentarius Commission is expanding its set of standards to ensure that consumer health remains protected, while practices in the trade of food are fair. Today FAO/WHO are announcing the launch of a completely new series of multilingual eLearning courses on Codex accessible free of charge online and in downloadable format. “The new courses have been meticulously developed to make sure we a have an up to [...]

The 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission has agreed by a vote to adopt the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for zilpaterol, a veterinary drug used to enhance growth performance in cattle, at Step 5 in the Codex process for developing food safety standards. The Commission did not agree, also by a vote, to change its rules for this session and allow for the work to advance directly to the final Step 8  which would have paved the way for CAC45 to consider final [...]

Over 350 online delegates joined nearly 400 returning to FAO for a physical session for the first time in three years as the 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) opened on 21 November 2022. QU Dongyu Director-General of FAO, welcomed participants and underlined how rapidly advancing technology has made hybrid meetings such as CAC45 possible in full transparency, ensuring no one is left behind. Science and data play a crucial role in the work of the Codex standard-setting body, he said, also making reference to the [...]

The 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) is less than two weeks away and it may be one of the most interesting gatherings in recent times. It will be the first physical meeting of CAC in 3 years and the first ever that has the option for virtual attendance – a major challenge for us in the Codex Secretariat. In addition, there is a huge interest in the Codex family to see how we can move forward on the MRLs for [...]

Members gathered in a physical setting for the first time since 2020 for the opening of the 83rd Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission being held in FAO HQ, Rome, Italy from 14-18 November 2022. Online delegates are also taking part ensuring full participation. FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero welcomed delegates to the face-to-face environment which he described as “helpful when tackling the complex issues and negotiations” on their agenda. “I trust as a committee you [...]

A live event held online for Codex Members and Observers on 29 July 2022 provided the first details of what the 45th Codex Alimentarius Commission will look like as a physical session scheduled for Rome beginning 21 November. In opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, United Kingdom, said “we have to continue to adapt and continue to address new challenges … and uppermost in my mind is the need to maintain the level of participation we’ve [...]