August news round up

There is still a lot going on in the Codex world this August. Here is a catch-up guide as we begin follow-up work on the 38th Commission and start the new series of Codex Committee meetings.

The 38th Commission - CAC38

The full report has now been published in English and the other five languages will shortly be available. Follow up activities are already underway on Codex Work Management and Functioning of the Executive Committee with the publication of a Circular Letter for comments and the preparation of a new paper on this matter to be sent to the General Principles Committee next April (2016).

The Standards adopted at the Commission are currently being published online and can be viewed in the Codex list of standards. One of the new standards that attracted global interest was the new standard for Ginseng.

Media

The Geneva photo gallery is online and below you can also see the video featuring the work of Codex in Honduras, which was premièred on the last day of the Commission.

Spices Committee CCSCH2

The 2nd Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs will be held in Goa (India), 14-19 September 2015. The agenda and working documents can be downloaded here. Topics under discussion include proposed standards for pepper, cumin, oregano and thyme. 

Social media and online communications

The Codex twitter account @FAOWHOCodex was launched at the Commission with the Commission #hashtag #CAC38. This initiative is part of the broader communications plan which also includes the restyling of the Codex website, the publication of the regional news sites and a new edition of the Codex text "Understanding Codex".

Another pilot initiative aimed at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of committee electronic working groups is the use of an online discussion board/forum to strengthen the work of these valuable Codex bodies. This project is starting with the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods and the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods. Combined with the recently acquired online commenting system (a joint venture with our sister organization IPPC), Codex will be striving for ever greater collaboration and efficiency in food safety standard development.

Food Policy Journal - Codex in the News

The 55th edition of the Food Policy Journal (July 2015) carries a paper which reviews current international legislation on nutrition and health claims. It concludes that studied legislative documents show critical differences and a variety of approaches to regulating nutrition and health claims and advocates greater consumer research upon the perception of the different types of claims. It ends stating that:

The efforts of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to internationally harmonise the handling of nutrition and health claims should be leading in all developments and improvements of legislation, to stimulate work of the industry in the field of functional foods and to enhance the opportunity for consumers to use health-enhancing products.