The 47th meeting of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has opened in Geneva, Switzerland, ahead of a historic session that will see final discussions on Codex’s new strategic plan for the period 2026–2031 as well as elections for a new Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons, . In addition to this will be the work of discussing and adopting new Codex texts and a number of new work proposals. Opening remarks were given by the Directors-General of both of Codex’s parent organizations. Tedros [...]

The Codex Alimentarius Commission will meet for the 47th time next week, 24–30 November. With some highly anticipated new texts for adoption, the week will also see the election of a new chairperson and three new vice-chairpersons of the Commission, as the tenure of Steve Wearne, the current Chairperson and Allan Azegele, Raj Rajasekar and Diego Varela, the three current vice-chairpersons, comes to an end. The landmark texts up for adoption include work on guidelines for food hygiene control measures in [...]

The 87th session of the Codex Alimentarius Executive Committee (CCEXEC87) has started at the International Conference Center Geneva to discuss issues outstanding before the meeting of the 47th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC47).  The meeting was opened by Francesco Branca, Director of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO, who noted that “Codex is a unique platform for driving real change in global food systems. A platform for science-based discussions that lead to immediate regulatory actions and real transformation”. He continued his intervention, by stressing [...]

The Joint ACT/FF3 meeting took place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from November 4–8. The “Action to Support Implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT)” project, funded by the Republic of Korea, and the FAO Fleming Fund 3 (FF3) global initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Fleming Fund, came together for their first joint meeting to share experiences and challenges, foster mutual learning, and plan collaboratively for the year ahead. Cambodia was highlighted as a model country due to its active involvement in [...]

The 29th edition of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual has been published, with updates reflecting revisions to the previous edition. This edition builds on the new format and layout unveiled in the 28th edition, reflecting ongoing efforts to ensure consistency, remove redundancies, and enhance usability.  “Every year, the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodieslook at the Codex Procedural Manual and propose amendments as necessary” – said Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary – “With this new version, which includes editorial changes [...]

The 48th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling has concluded in Quebec City, Canada. In his closing remarks Chairperson Parthi Muthukumarasamy thanked delegates for “the great work for the last 4 or 5 days. “We had an additional day of plenary at CCFL48,” he said, “thanks for the great work and thanks to everyone for staying an additional day in order for us to make progress on a number of texts, which we have done, through the collaboration [...]

The importance of aquatic foods in global nutrition and food security cannot be overstated. Valued for their nutritional benefits and their contribution to livelihoods, the production and per capita consumption of aquatic foods have seen significant growth over the past decades. This trend is expected to continue, highlighting the crucial role these foods play in global food and nutrition. However, with increased production and consumption come associated risks. Understanding the food safety hazards linked to aquatic foods is essential for [...]

The 48th session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) has commenced in Quebec City, Canada, with first-time Chairperson Dr Parthi Muthukumarasamy presiding. Opening remarks were offered bilingually by Deputy Minister, Health Canada Greg Orencsak in a video message. With his “warm welcome to all delegates and observers from around the world”, the Deputy Minister, made clear that Canada “places a high importance on the work done by Codex.” He continued, “We believe that the work of Codex is imperative [...]

The 27th session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food (CCRVDF) has concluded with the adoption of the report. “I was hopeful when we began this session that we would have a productive and effective meeting,” said Chairperson, Dr Brandi Robinson. “And I'm very pleased by the many accomplishments that you have achieved!” She went on to summarize the achievements and highlighted that some of the work was only approved at CAC46 in November 2023. “That is [...]

In this interview with the Codex Secretariat, the new Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL), Dr Parthi Muthukumarasamy, talks about his background, his experience with Codex and the agenda of the 48th session of CCFL which gets underway in Quebec City, Canada on 27 October 2024. Parthi, thanks for your time. This is going to be the first time for you to chair CCFL. For those who don’t know you, could you please introduce yourself? First of all, let me [...]