World Health Day celebrations on 7 April call for “Health for all – everyone, everywhere”, and we are reminded that the Codex vision of “safe, good food for everyone, everywhere” is a part of that agenda. But at least half of the people in the world do not receive the health services they need, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “Contamination of foods is the cause of a significant disease burden, which is distributed all over the world”, said Kazuaki [...]

As the Codex food additives meeting continues in Jinan, China, we spoke to FAO Senior Food Safety Officer Markus Lipp about the need and use for additives in food and who decides if they are safe. What do food additives do? Food additives are substances that have a specific function. For example, they make the food safer by preventing microbiological spoilage, they can be used to colour food or make the flavour, smell, taste, even texture more appealing. Some additives are [...]

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) began a week-long session on Monday 11 March 2019 to discuss consolidating and updating technical guidance documents that will allow for a more current and coordinated approach to assessing microbiological hazards in food. The information provided by risk assessments helps the food industry and governments better understand and control these hazards so that food is safe for consumers. Assessing the risks associated with microbiological hazards in foods, which can occur at [...]

Medicated feed is one important route for administering veterinary medicinal products to animals, in particular to animals intended for food production. It can be difficult to administer a veterinary drug to an animal, especially in the case of smaller species typically reared in large groups such as a flock of birds or a school of fish where there would be hundreds of animals that all need to be treated at the same time. The use of medicated feed provides an simple, [...]

The role of animal nutrition and feed strategies and options for reducing the need to use antimicrobials in animal production was highlighted in a side event during a meeting of the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance that took place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 10 to 14 December 2018. The speakers summarized the current state of the art and recent insights on how diets, gut health and the immune system interact and could contribute to disease [...]

Ahead of developing new international guidance for the control of histamine in fish and fishery products, the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene requested FAO and WHO to provide scientific information to consider whether salmonids, which have an extensive global market, should be included in this new guidance. The literature review developed by FAO and WHO on the risk of histamine development in fish of the Salmonidae family and the potential impact on human health, is now available online. Histamine is a naturally [...]

You may have seen it. The colourful assembly of iconic food images on the cover is hard to miss. With the same cover design, the fifth edition of Understanding Codex is now accessible in four of the six official UN languages on the FAO/WHO Codex website – the remaining two are coming soon. The publication has been updated to help readers better understand how the Codex Alimentarius Commission works, how it facilitates the food trade, benefitting economies and livelihoods, and [...]

FAO and WHO are currently seeking experts, stakeholders and data related to the carry-over from feed to food of unavoidable and unintended residues of approved veterinary drugs. The three calls have been issued in preparation of the FAO/WHO Stakeholder Meeting on 7 January 2019 and the Expert Consultation Meeting on 8 to 11 January 2019 in Rome, Italy. The 23rd Codex Committee on Residue of Veterinary Drugs in Food has requested FAO and WHO to provide scientific advice to address the [...]

At the 10th International Symposium on Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli infections (VTEC2018) held in Florence Italy 6-9 May 2018, experts from The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) presented innovative work carried out in response to a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene for information on STEC in food. What are STEC? Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. Though most of these bacteria are harmless, others can [...]

Global experts gather at the 17th Food Safety Day in Seoul highlighting the rapid progress made on food safety in recent years. In the presence of Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon an event was held in Seoul last Friday to enhance public awareness and build social consensus on the importance of food safety. The Republic of Korea, through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety,  has strong ties with Codex Alimentarius and has strengthened its cooperation over many years both in providing technical [...]