The Codex Alimentarius is the international organization created by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to develop food standards, guidelines and other texts under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade. As a nongovernmental organization with observer status IFT participates in meetings of select Codex committees and task forces.

USDA-FDA Closer to Zero Public Webinar Recap - April 2022

Codex Meeting Reports

• 41st Session of the Committee in Nutrition & Foods for Special Dietary Uses (PDF)
• 51st Session of the Committee on Food Hygiene (PDF)
• 42nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius (PDF)

IFT Codex Alimentarius Newsletters
This newsletter will be your resource for staying up to date on Codex developments, primarily those of the Commission, its subsidiary bodies in which IFT is involved, and related news and resources of FAO and WHO.

With the mandate of raising levels of nutrition, improving agricultural productivity, bettering the lives of rural populations, and contributing to the growth of the world economy, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation serves as a knowledge network, shares policy expertise, provides a neutral meeting forum for nations, and brings technical knowledge to the field.

FAO Resources

• Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste
• Hand-in-Hand geospatial data platform for food and agriculture
• Climate change: Unpacking the burden on food safety
• Global community meeting of the FAO GM Foods Platform: Towards effective risk-based food safety assessment and regulatory management
• Averting Risks to the Food Chain: A compendium of proven emergency prevention methods and tools, 2nd ed. (PDF)
• FAO framework for the Urban Food Agenda: Leveraging Sub-national and Local Government Action to Ensure Sustainable Food Systems and Improved Nutrition 
• The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (PDF)
• Sustainable Food and Agriculture: An Integrated Approach
• FAOLEX Database

As the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations, the World Health Organization provides leadership on global health matters, shapes the health research agenda, sets norms and standards, articulates evidence-based policy options, provides technical support to countries, and monitors and assesses health trends.

Resources:

• Food Safety—Climate Change and the Role of WHO

Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee administered jointly by FAO and WHO. JECFA serves as an independent scientific committee which performs risk assessments on food additives, contaminants, naturally occurring toxicants and residues of veterinary drugs in food and provides advice for the CAC and its committees.

JECFA Meeting Report

• Residue evaluation of certain veterinary drugs, 88th JECFA meeting October 22-31, 2019
• 89th JECFA meeting, June 1-12, 2020: Summary and Conclusions (PDF)

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is a scientific risk assessment body of the European Union, providing scientific advice on food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health, plant protection, and plant health. Select reports are provided below.

Editorials

• Food safety regulatory research needs 2030

Guidance Documents

• Use of the Threshold of Toxicological Concern approach in food safety assessment

News Stories

• Chemical hazards data and modelling boost: OpenFood Tox
• EFSA to share data on open-access platform

Reasoned Opinions

• Setting of import tolerances for abamectin in various crops
• Modification of the existing maximum residue levels for copper compounds in fresh herbs and edible flowers

Scientific Opinions

• Opinion on the re-evaluation of ascorbyl palmitate (E 304i) as a food additive in foods for infants below 16 weeks of age and the follow-up of its re-evaluation as a food additive for uses in foods for all population groups
• Safety of the extension of use of plant sterol esters as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283
• Assessment of genetically modified maize MZIR 098 for food and feed uses, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA -GMO -DE -2017-142)
• Scientific opinion on the safety of selenite triglycerides as a source of selenium added for nutritional purposes to food supplements
• Re-evaluation of sodium aluminium silicate (E 554) and potassium aluminium silicate (E 555) as food additives
• Safety evaluation of the food enzyme with β-glucanase and β-xylanase activities from the Trichoderma reesei strain DP -Nya67
• Safety evaluation of the food enzyme phospholipase A1 from the genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain NZYM -FP
• Safety evaluation of the food enzyme glucan 1,4-alpha-glucosidase from the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain DP -Nzh38
• Assessment of genetically modified soybean MON 87705 x MON 87708 x MON 89788, for food and feed uses, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA -GMO -NL -2015- 126
• Assessment of genetically modified oilseed rape MS 11 for food and feed uses, import and processing, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA -GMO -BE -2016- 138)
• Risk assessment of ochratoxin A in food
• The public health risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in frozen fruit and vegetables including herbs, blanched during processing
• Pathogenicity assessment of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and the public health risk posed by contamination of food with STEC

Scientific Reports

• Cumulative dietary risk characterization of pesticides that have acute effects on the nervous system
• Animal dietary exposure: overview of current approaches used at EFSA
  
• Technical specifications on harmonised monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from food-producing animals and food

Statements

• Assessment of the 2017 post-market environmental monitoring report on the cultivation of genetically modified maize MON 810

Technical Reports

• Assessment of the outcomes of the project “Risk Assessment of Genetically Engineered Organisms in the EU and Switzerland” (RAGES)
• Climate change as a driver of emerging risks for food and feed safety, plant, animal health and nutritional quality
• Administrative guidance on the submission of applications for renewal of authorization of genetically modified food and feed under Articles 11 and 23 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003

The Food Chemicals Codex (FFC) is a compendium of internationally recognized standards for the authenticity, purity and identity of food ingredients. The compendium features about 1,100 monographs, including food-grade chemicals, processing aids, foods, flavoring agents, vitamins, and functional food ingredients, as well as information on topics such as adulteration, analytical methods and more.

The FCC plays a key role in safeguarding commerce and public health by providing essential criteria and analytical methods to authenticate and determine the quality of food ingredients. FCC standards are beneficial to all stakeholders in the food industry as agreed standards between suppliers and manufacturers aid in distinguishing genuine products from inferior or adulterated ingredients and substances, thereby helping to make the food supply chain safer and assuring consumers of the quality of the food products they consume. 

FCC Resources

• Food Chemicals Codex Forum

The IFT Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) convenes industry sector stakeholders to facilitate pre-competitive processes which promulgate standards, especially for upstream segments of the food value chain. For more information, visit the GFTC standards and protocols page.

GS1 is a standards body that develops and maintains business communication standards and protocols pertinent to food logistics and traceability. GS1 promulgates standards such as barcodes, communication formats (e.g., EPCIS), and logistics networks (e.g., the Global Data Synchronization Network). GS1 standards have broad usage in the food industry worldwide, especially for consumer-packaged goods, fresh products, meat and poultry, and food service.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was established by the Consumer Goods Forum to benchmark food safety standards worldwide. The GFSI scope encompasses food supply chain safety from production/source to consumption. GFSI seeks to reduce food safety risks through standardization, manage costs in the global food system, develop capacity and competency across global food systems, and provide an international platform for knowledge exchange.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops and publishes international standards relating to topics, including food ingredients, food safety and quality, and nanotechnology, through a network of national member standards institutes of 162 countries.

ISO Resources:

• Technical Committee 34: Food Products
• Technical Committee 229: Nanotechnologies
• Technical Committee 234: Fisheries and Aquaculture

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) is an international organization that works to build better policies for better lives. Its goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity, and well-being for all. Together with governments, policy makers, and citizens, the OECD works on establishing international norms.

• OECD – FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CIFA) highest priority is mitigating risks to food safety, with the health and safety of Canadians the driving force behind the design and development of its programs. In collaboration and partnership with industry, consumers, and federal, provincial, and municipal organizations, CFIA works towards protecting Canadians from preventable health risks related to food and zoonotic diseases. 

• New federal food safety requirements now in force for fresh fruits or vegetables
• Tips for a smooth Safe Food for Canadians licence application
• The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations are here
  

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FANZ)

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is a statutory authority in the Australian Government Health Portfolio. FSANZ develops food standards for Australia and New Zealand.

• Approval report – Proposal M1017 – Maximum Residue Limits (2019)
• Approval report – Application A1183 – Enzymatic production of rebaudioside E from stevia leaf extract

Health Canada

Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, ensuring that high-quality health services are accessible, and working to reduce health risks.

• Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents to Enable the Use of Polysorbate 80 as an Emulsifying Agent in Wheat-Based Ready-to-Eat Cereals [2020-06-15]
• Notice of Modification to Add Maximum Levels for Inorganic Arsenic in Polished (White) and Husked (Brown) Rice to Part 2 of the List of Contaminants and other Adulterating Substances in Foods

U.K. Foods Standards Agency

The U.K. Food Standards Agency is an independent government department working across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to protect public health and consumers’ wider interests in food.

• Food allergen labeling and information requirements: Technical Guidance
• Risk Analysis: Chief Scientific Advisor’s Science Report