Sarah Cahill has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Before joining the Codex Secretariat in 2018, where she served as a Senior Food Standards Officer for six years, Sarah Cahill led the FAO Secretariat of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), responsible for overseeing the provision of scientific advice on microbiological hazards in a wide range of foods, from fresh produce to meat and fish. Her wide experience also comprises working on [...]

The Yemeni Organization for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control celebrated the World Food Safety Day this year, under the theme of "Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected". This year's theme emphasizes the need to raise awareness about food safety-related incidents and the importance of being prepared for any eventualities concerning food safety and foodborne diseases. In his speech delivered on this occasion, the Director-General of the Organization, Engineer Hadid Al-Mas, emphasized that World Food Safety Day serves is an important platform [...]

In a live event on World Food Safety Day 2023, FAO launched a new website comprising a series of practical food safety management guidance documents based on the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene. The website focuses on Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system (HACCP) and is called: “FAO’s GHP and HACCP Toolbox for Food Safety”. The toolbox aims to give all those involved in food safety management in the food sector, be [...]

The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) has concluded its 55th session in Chnegdu, P.R. China, with the Committee Chairperson, Dr Weili SHAN, expressing his “sincere thanks” to all the Chairs and co-Chairs of the working groups, and to all delegates for their work and support “to facilitate discussions and to prepare working documents promptly, and significant contribution to the Session”. Mr SHAN went on to say “The CCPR is the member’s committee as well as the observer’s committee. The [...]

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 [...]