On 6 June, the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted an AskWHO Live Q&A on the occasion of World Food Safety Day. The online audience from the WHO X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube platforms was invited to ask questions on maintaining food safety during unexpected events such as power outages, flooding, or other food safety emergencies. During the live event, moderated by Yanawit Dechpanyawat, Social Media Officer at WHO, the three speakers, Jeffrey LeJeune, Food Safety Officer at FAO; Jéssica Kayamori Lopes, [...]

It’s 7 June! Happy World Food Safety day! This year we celebrate under the theme “food safety: prepare for the unexpected,” which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN). INFOSAN was established following the development and adoption of the Codex Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of Information in Food Safety Emergency Situations (CXG 19-1995), which was the genesis of INFOSAN in terms of designation of emergency contact points at the national level. These [...]

In celebration of this year’s World Food Safety Day, Codex has published a “case study” showing how one country used Codex texts to resolve a food safety outbreak. In line with this year’s World Food Safety Day theme, “food safety: prepare for the unexpected,” the story recounts how Honduras worked with the FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and food safety authorities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to identify the source of an outbreak of [...]

Is it possible to predict the future? This is a question that has always fascinated mankind, giving rise to myths, stories and legends about possible ways of doing it and its possible consequences. While today no one can predict the future, we can prepare for different possibilities by looking at early signs of change, using a foresight approach. And this is of the utmost importance in our increasingly complex agrifood systems. This edition of the Codex podcast highlights how, through its [...]

The 55th session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR55) is meeting this week, with more than 250 delegates attending the session physically in Chengdu, People's Republic of China. Mr Xingwang ZHANG, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, opened the meeting, and welcomed participants by commending the continuous support the Committee and the host country have received from all delegates since 2006. “China introduced a series of major initiatives in [...]

The International Symposium on Food Safety and Control, which concluded yesterday, 31 May, in Vienna, Austria, provided a forum for information sharing on cutting edge research and developments in the application of nuclear technologies for food safety and control. The event also offered networking opportunities between the public and private sectors and the chance to define future research needs and directions. The symposium included seven sessions, which addressed several topics, from chemical residues and contaminants in food and feed, to One [...]

The report on the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety was presented at WHA77 showing the progress made all over the world in the first two years after the adoption of the strategy. Different activities are ongoing with support from WHO to strengthen national food safety systems improving accountability from national authorities and protecting consumers health. Here are some highlights. WHO, together with partners, has made progress in assessing food control systems and developing implementation and advocacy tools [...]

This year, 30 May marks the first ever observance of International Day of Potato, which is facilitated, at the request of the United Nations General Assembly, by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Day was marked by a special event hosted at FAO headquarters and online, under the theme of “Fundamental role of the potato value chain in global food security.” The event highlighted the significance of this important staple food, which, over the course of [...]

The 43rd session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling concluded Saturday 18 May with the adoption of the report and… a recipe for an Asian soup. The Committee had covered a lot of ground during the week, with the endorsement of methods of analysis for the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) and the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO), with endorsement or proposed revocation of methods for olive oils and olive pomace oils, [...]

The 43rd session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) opened Tuesday with introductory remarks from representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The session was officially opened by Dr Márton Nobilis, the Secretary of State responsible for food chain safety at the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. Dr Nobilis underlined the long-standing nature of CCMAS and its importance to the food standards setting process. He also [...]