Codex Chairperson on shared goals of Codex and GFSI
Speaking at the opening session of The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference taking place from 29 to 31 March 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne (United Kingdom) called on industry to join with Codex in advocating for the adoption and deployment of Codex standards.
“Together, we have an opportunity to further develop and foster food safety practices throughout the entire food system – from shaping policies to incentivizing private enterprises in traditional and formal markets. We should anchor food safety on global best practices, but recognize it is generally not governments, regulatory authorities or inspection and supervision bodies that produce the food we all consume. It is industry – from the smallest micro-businesses to the largest global companies,” he said.
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. Wearne stressed the importance of collaboration and the value of businesses sharing their data. “Not just the regulatory packages for regulated products such as plant and animal protection products or food additives … but also your intelligence and insights into how food safety control systems are working, pressure points and emerging priorities,” he said.
He also emphasized the natural partnership between Codex and GFSI in “bringing people together with a focus on food safety in order to protect everyone everywhere” and in building a future system where Codex standards are incorporated more widely into national regulations or used as a reference point by individual businesses and as a basis for business-to-business interactions.
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The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI; the Coalition) is a Coalition of Action from The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a Codex observer, that brings together retailers and manufacturers from across the CGF membership.
Main photo: Steve Wearne at GFSI 29 March 2022
Photo credit © GFSI
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
Codex Chairperson on shared goals of Codex and GFSI
Speaking at the opening session of The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference taking place from 29 to 31 March 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne (United Kingdom) called on industry to join with Codex in advocating for the adoption and deployment of Codex standards.
“Together, we have an opportunity to further develop and foster food safety practices throughout the entire food system – from shaping policies to incentivizing private enterprises in traditional and formal markets. We should anchor food safety on global best practices, but recognize it is generally not governments, regulatory authorities or inspection and supervision bodies that produce the food we all consume. It is industry – from the smallest micro-businesses to the largest global companies,” he said.
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. Wearne stressed the importance of collaboration and the value of businesses sharing their data. “Not just the regulatory packages for regulated products such as plant and animal protection products or food additives … but also your intelligence and insights into how food safety control systems are working, pressure points and emerging priorities,” he said.
He also emphasized the natural partnership between Codex and GFSI in “bringing people together with a focus on food safety in order to protect everyone everywhere” and in building a future system where Codex standards are incorporated more widely into national regulations or used as a reference point by individual businesses and as a basis for business-to-business interactions.
Learn more
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI; the Coalition) is a Coalition of Action from The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a Codex observer, that brings together retailers and manufacturers from across the CGF membership.
Main photo: Steve Wearne at GFSI 29 March 2022
Photo credit © GFSI
Codex and Observer
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.
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