The CCAFRICA Region - Regional Coordinator Uganda
The ‘Coordinating Committee for Africa’ was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1972 with a mandate to “exercise general coordination in the preparation of standards relating to the region of Africa”. The committee held its first meeting at FAO in 1974, with 19 countries in attendance.
As the new regional coordinator begins their term, the Agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in May 2020, has reinforced the need for an efficient and effective system for managing sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in particular food safety, across the continent as its borders open for trade.
The regional coordinator is based in the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives which oversees, as part of its mandate, the promotion and use of standards.
As regional coordinator, Uganda intends to engage closely with countries via surveys, webinars and workshops to identify needs and emerging issues, create awareness of priority food safety issues and of Codex standards. A pilot study will also explore the food safety situation in broader terms across the region. By strengthening engagement with regional bodies such as the African Union, the African Organisation for Standardisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Uganda also aims to enhance advocacy work in the region.
CCAFRICA Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCAFRICA Secretariat
Uganda National Bureau of Standards Plot 2 - 12, Bypass Link, Industrial
& Business park, Kyaliwajala road,
P.O Box 6329 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256 (041) 7333250 / 0417333251 / 0417333252
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.unbs.go.ug
Commemoration of the Second World Food Safety Day in Burkina Faso
Awareness raising on food safety in the context of COVID-19 at the heart of the commemoration
The National Codex Committee is taking part in the response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic within the framework of the commemoration of the second World Food Safety Day in Burkina Faso. The activity was launched at the premises of the General Meat Society of Ouagadougou, one of the model units for the sale and distribution of meat products.
In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Codex Committee in Burkina Faso intends to draw attention and inspire action to the prevention, detection and management of foodborne risks with the primary objective of ensuring food safety to better protect the health of the population. Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts of the National Codex Committee was oriented on raising awareness, information sharing and education of food business operators on best practices to adopt in the food environment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The General Meat Society was in turn the first to welcome actors from the National Codex Committee for the launch of the commemorative activities of the second World Food Safety Day in Burkina Faso.
To this end, leaflets on the application of measures against COVID-19, posters providing advice on good hygiene practices and general good practices in the food environment as well as various other tools bearing the theme of the World Food Safety Day were handed to the head of the Meat Society by Estelle BAMBARA, President of the National Codex Committee. A briefing was also given on the World Food Safety Day and on good practices to adopt in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Adama OUENA, President and CEO of the General Meat Society in turn expressed his satisfaction at seeing his establishment honoured and added that he will do more to comply with hygiene measures and good manufacturing practices. He also promised to raise awareness among his customers about the practices and measures to adopt to deal with COVID-19.
On the occasion of the commemoration of the second World Food Safety Day, atleast eighty (80) other food establishments (supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants, ice cream parlors etc) across the city of Ouagadougou will also receive awareness raising materials on good hygienic and manufacturing practices as well as the measures that need to be adopted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the slogan, « Food Safety, Everyone’s Business », the commemorartion of the second World Food Safety Day in Burkina Faso is also a call to decision-makers (politicians, civil society, agro-industrialists, population), to strengthen the commitment to improve food safety.
As a reminder, Burkina Faso joined in 2002 the Codex Alimentarius Commission and set up its national Codex Committee in 2004. The National Committee is under the technical leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture with the presidency at the Ministry of Health.
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