South Africa’s SAAFoST presented a webinar to mark World Food Safety Day 2021

Jun 23, 2021, 13:55 PM by System

On 2 June 2021 the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST) held a lunchtime webinar for its members and any other interested parties to mark World Food Safety Day 2021. There were three guest speakers with fascinating presentations all congruent with the theme “Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow”. The webinar was opened by Mr Malose Daniel Matlala, Deputy Director at the National Department of Health and the National Codex Contact Point for South Africa. The webinar was also supported by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, South Africa.

Professor Lucia Anelich, managing director of Anelich Consulting and past President of SAAFoST, started the webinar with an enlightening talk about “How safe are low moisture foods?” Professor Anelich shared some of her experiences regarding food safety challenges associated with low moisture foods, including limitations of end-product testing and the importance of implementing a Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Programme.  

Susan Featherstone, Director of Safe-Food Consulting and CEO of SAAFoST, followed next with a talk about the safety of canned foods entitled “Why not just can it?” Susan’s presentation included applicable legislation to ensure that adequate and sufficient testing takes place, as well as details of the kinds of tests required to ensure the excellent food safety record of different types of products and packaging types included in the “canned food” ambient-stable, long-life food sector.

The webinar was concluded with a presentation from Jane Nock, Chief Food Science Officer for in2food Pty Ltd, South Africa. Jane has many years’ technical and auditing experience in food and beverage manufacturing facilities. Her presentation on “The importance of hygienic design of equipment in food safety” was based on her experiences in industry as a manufacturer and supplier of Ready-To-Eat foods to a high-end retailer in South Africa.

 

Read more about SAAFoST: https://www.saafost.org.za/

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

South Africa’s SAAFoST presented a webinar to mark World Food Safety Day 2021

Jun 23, 2021, 13:55 PM by System

On 2 June 2021 the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST) held a lunchtime webinar for its members and any other interested parties to mark World Food Safety Day 2021. There were three guest speakers with fascinating presentations all congruent with the theme “Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow”. The webinar was opened by Mr Malose Daniel Matlala, Deputy Director at the National Department of Health and the National Codex Contact Point for South Africa. The webinar was also supported by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, South Africa.

Professor Lucia Anelich, managing director of Anelich Consulting and past President of SAAFoST, started the webinar with an enlightening talk about “How safe are low moisture foods?” Professor Anelich shared some of her experiences regarding food safety challenges associated with low moisture foods, including limitations of end-product testing and the importance of implementing a Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Programme.  

Susan Featherstone, Director of Safe-Food Consulting and CEO of SAAFoST, followed next with a talk about the safety of canned foods entitled “Why not just can it?” Susan’s presentation included applicable legislation to ensure that adequate and sufficient testing takes place, as well as details of the kinds of tests required to ensure the excellent food safety record of different types of products and packaging types included in the “canned food” ambient-stable, long-life food sector.

The webinar was concluded with a presentation from Jane Nock, Chief Food Science Officer for in2food Pty Ltd, South Africa. Jane has many years’ technical and auditing experience in food and beverage manufacturing facilities. Her presentation on “The importance of hygienic design of equipment in food safety” was based on her experiences in industry as a manufacturer and supplier of Ready-To-Eat foods to a high-end retailer in South Africa.

 

Read more about SAAFoST: https://www.saafost.org.za/

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.