In the world of international food standards, a key committee is preparing for a significant task: establishing a group standard for whole millet grains. Ken Lowery, United States of America, a long-serving delegates within the Codex Alimentarius Commission, steps into the chair's role for CCCPL11, bringing nearly two decades of experience to the table. As the committee shifts to working through correspondence, we interviewed Ken to learn more about the challenges and opportunities of this new working method, the agenda of [...]

On 27 February 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officially launched the JECFA Toolbox for Veterinary Drug Residues Risk Assessment. FAO hosted a launch event on Zoom, attracting over 150 attendees from 50 countries (see the summary report for more details).   The JECFA Toolbox for Veterinary Drug Residues Risk Assessment describes the process used by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) when assessing the risks of veterinary drug residues in animal-derived food products consumed by humans. The key output of [...]

The World Food Safety Day teams at FAO and WHO are organizing a webinar for 7 April, where they will outline the theme for this year’s World Food Safety Day celebrations and showcase the materials that have been made available for event organizers this year. Taking part will be FAO’s Director, Division of Agrifood Systems and Food Safety, Corinna Hawkes, who will explain the thinking behind this year’s theme, “Food safety: science in action”. FAO’s Markus Lipp and WHO’s Moez Sanaa [...]

The 55th session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) has concluded in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with the adoption of the report and an acknowledgement of the spirit of compromise and collaboration that underscored fruitful discussions. Concluding this first co-hosted session of the food additives committee, co-Chairperson, Professor Hae-Jung Yoon of the Republic of Korea said: “As we conclude this session, I’d like to extend my appreciation to everyone for their dedication, expertise and constructive discussions. Your commitment to [...]

The 55th session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) has opened in Seoul, Republic of Korea, where the week-long meeting will be co-hosted by China and the Republic of Korea, 24–28 March. The Committee’s Chairperson, Dr Fan Yongxian, noted, in welcoming guests and delegates, that there were more than 250 people from more than 55 countries and 28 observer organizations attending the meeting. He noted, too, that this session is “pretty special for Codex because it is the first [...]

The latest edition of the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual has been published online. This publication defines Codex’s Rules of Procedure, the procedures for the elaboration of the Codex Alimentarius, and the guidelines for the operation of Codex committees. It also sets a precedent for Codex’s other written materials. “This latest version underscores our commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring the Codex Procedural Manual remains a consistent and reliable guide for our work” said Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary. “As usual, discussions regarding the Codex [...]

A consultation meeting, held on 12 March, has heard a report on the progress of the FAO-implemented Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT) project over the last year. In the meeting, the ACT project team detailed to representatives from the project donor, the Republic of Korea, the activities and achievements that took place in 2024. The project aims at improving monitoring and surveillance, governance and awareness of foodborne AMR and is being implemented in Bolivia (Plurinational State [...]

The theme for this year’s World Food Safety Day celebrations has been unveiled! It is – Food safety: science in action. The theme recognizes the key role played by science in ensuring the credibility and accuracy of food safety guidance and advice used by governments, food businesses and consumers alike. However, the theme goes further, by reminding us that food can only be safe if the guidance and advice is put into action. For this reason, the World Food Safety Day slogan [...]

by CropLife International A new independent research study commissioned by CropLife International shines a spotlight on the role that Codex Alimentarius is playing in the facilitation of international coffee trade -whilst protecting consumer safety and confidence. The study, undertaken by Bryant Christie Inc., showed Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) to be key in reducing the risk of trade disruption in the complex coffee processing and production chain.  Among 40 trade partners whose coffee MRL standards were viewed in the study, 15 maintain [...]

Stand by for the 7 March launch of World Food Safety Day 2025! The World Food Safety Day team is working to launch a “Get started Toolkit” which will be available in all six United Nations languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and will provide information about this year’s theme, and the posters, social media cards and other assets you will be able to use to organize, participate in and promote World Food Safety Day activities this year. As [...]