Codex Asian region digs deep into strategic plan in Beijing workshop
At the next Codex Alimentarius Commission to be held in Geneva in July 2019, Codex Members are expected to adopt a strategic plan which will drive activities from 2020 to 2025 in parallel with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
At a two-day workshop held for the Asian region in Beijing, China and organized jointly by China and the Regional Coordinator India, 31 participants from 14 countries had an opportunity to discuss national and regional food safety and trade matters and to take the lead on planning what they see as the goals, objectives and activities that require their maximum attention over the next five years. Some of the new concerns countries raised included how to regulate the rise in online food purchases and how governments can deal with ‘fake’ news stories appearing on social media about unsafe food.
Codex workshop, Beijing China 1-2 November 2018
Assisted by the Codex Secretariat and a regional food safety and quality officer from FAO, over the two days participants discussed the overall vision for Codex from their perspective and then what was important to focus on in Codex in order to keep food safety and fair practices in food trade as high as possible on national and regional agendas.
By working in teams in an informal atmosphere conducive to imaginative and constructive thinking, members shared their hopes, expectations and needs and translated the broad and ambitious goals Codex sets itself into specific, realistic and measurable initiatives to be undertaken both nationally, regionally and in conjunction with the Codex parent organizations FAO and WHO.
The workshop was designed by Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt to be a sounding board for the region and in expressing his thanks to hosts China and to India urged members to “provide input to the strategic plan so that Codex can continue to deliver on its vital mandate both today and tomorrow”.
Regional Food Safety Work
Taking advantage of so many countries present, FAO Regional Food Safety and Quality Officer Masami Takeuchi, ran an engaging session on day two examining capacity development needs in setting national food safety indicators and generating and collecting relevant data sets, which allowed countries to present their own experiences, hear best practices and learn about FAO/WHO initiatives planned in the future.
The participating countries were: Bangladesh, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Singapore
The Codex Secretariat team now moves to Europe and on 7-9 November will run a three-day workshop in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the Codex CCEURO region.
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