An upcoming conference will focus on the future of food safety to boost international commitments

Dec 13, 2018, 09:18 AM by System

Health and agriculture officials, food safety authorities, scientific experts, representatives of consumers and food producers associations as well as other organizations including the private sector will convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Geneva, Switzerland early 2019 to identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety.

“The Future of Food Safety – Transforming knowledge into action for people, economies and the environment” is the overall topic of the events, co-organized by FAO, WHO, WTO and the African Union.

The Addis Ababa meeting will centre on:

  • the burden of foodborne diseases and the benefits of investing in safe food
  • safe and sustainable food systems in an era of accelerated climate change
  • science, innovation and digital transformation at the service of food safety
  • empowering consumers to make healthy choices and support sustainable food systems.

The Geneva Forum will be held on the WTO premises and address the trade-related aspects and challenges of food safety.

Together the two events offer a unique opportunity to strengthen political engagement and commitments and scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda.

The Codex Secretariat is part of the team preparing the two events and colleagues involved in Codex activities at the national level, such as Codex Contact Points, may help to facilitate the appropriate nomination of participants and support the follow up on actions to be taken after the Conference.

With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses and 420 000 deaths caused annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies everywhere, disproportionally affecting those already vulnerable such as small children, pregnant women, the elderly, the immunocompromised and populations affected by food insecurity.

The meetings will help identify future food safety challenges and possible solutions and strengthen political commitment for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the results will provide important input for the Codex Alimentarius in the years to come”, says Hilde Kruse, Senior Food Standards Officer with the Codex Secretariat.

Here are the dates and venues of the two meetings:

The First FAO/WHO/AU International Food Safety Conference ¦ 12-13 February 2019 ¦ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The FAO/WHO/WTO International Forum on Food Safety and Trade ¦ 23-24 April 2019 ¦ Geneva, Switzerland

 

Read more on the Conference website

See the Conference flyer in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish

At the heart of the Codex mandate are the core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, consensus building and transparency. Governmental and non-governmental, public and private organizations alike play a vital role in ensuring Codex texts are of the highest quality and based on sound science.

Codex would have little authority in the field of international standard setting if it did not welcome and acknowledge the valuable contributions made by observers. Expert technical bodies, industry and consumer associations contribute to the standard-setting process in a spirit of openness, collaboration and transparency.

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can apply for observer status in Codex in order to attend and put forward their views at every stage of the standard-setting process.

Current Codex Alimentarius Commission

240
Codex Observers
60
IGOs
164
NGOs
16
UN

An upcoming conference will focus on the future of food safety to boost international commitments

Dec 13, 2018, 09:18 AM by System

Health and agriculture officials, food safety authorities, scientific experts, representatives of consumers and food producers associations as well as other organizations including the private sector will convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Geneva, Switzerland early 2019 to identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety.

“The Future of Food Safety – Transforming knowledge into action for people, economies and the environment” is the overall topic of the events, co-organized by FAO, WHO, WTO and the African Union.

The Addis Ababa meeting will centre on:

  • the burden of foodborne diseases and the benefits of investing in safe food
  • safe and sustainable food systems in an era of accelerated climate change
  • science, innovation and digital transformation at the service of food safety
  • empowering consumers to make healthy choices and support sustainable food systems.

The Geneva Forum will be held on the WTO premises and address the trade-related aspects and challenges of food safety.

Together the two events offer a unique opportunity to strengthen political engagement and commitments and scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda.

The Codex Secretariat is part of the team preparing the two events and colleagues involved in Codex activities at the national level, such as Codex Contact Points, may help to facilitate the appropriate nomination of participants and support the follow up on actions to be taken after the Conference.

With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses and 420 000 deaths caused annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies everywhere, disproportionally affecting those already vulnerable such as small children, pregnant women, the elderly, the immunocompromised and populations affected by food insecurity.

The meetings will help identify future food safety challenges and possible solutions and strengthen political commitment for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the results will provide important input for the Codex Alimentarius in the years to come”, says Hilde Kruse, Senior Food Standards Officer with the Codex Secretariat.

Here are the dates and venues of the two meetings:

The First FAO/WHO/AU International Food Safety Conference ¦ 12-13 February 2019 ¦ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The FAO/WHO/WTO International Forum on Food Safety and Trade ¦ 23-24 April 2019 ¦ Geneva, Switzerland

 

Read more on the Conference website

See the Conference flyer in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish

Codex and Observer

Food is a sensitive commodity, which has travelled
around the world since ancient times.
We might not always know where it comes from,
but we expect it to be available, safe and of good quality.