INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES

Communication from the Codex Alimentarius Commission (codex)

The following communication, received on 18 June 2024, is being circulated at the request of the Codex secretariat.

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1  INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS

1.1  54^th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH54, Nairobi, Kenya, 11‑15 March 2024)

1.1.  CCFH54 agreed to send the following for final adoption by the 47^th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC47, 25-30 November 2024):

-_        Annexes on fresh leafy vegetables (Annex II) and sprouts (Annex IV) to the Guidelines for the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Raw Beef, Fresh Leafy Vegetables, Raw Milk and Raw Milk Cheeses, and Sprouts (CXG 99-2023);

-_        Annex on dairy products to the Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production (CXG 100-2023). Other annexes still require further development and will be considered at the next session of the committee; and

-_        Guidelines for Food Hygiene Control Measures in Traditional Markets for Food. These are intended to provide guidance on food safety regulation and hygienic handling activities to all stakeholders relevant to traditional markets for food where raw, prepared and/or ready-to-eat foods are sold in recognition of the important role such markets play in facilitating access to food and providing income and livelihoods. In this context they are particularly relevant to supporting member countries in their efforts towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.

1.2.  CCFH54 further agreed on new work to revise the following texts for approval by CAC47:

-_        Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food (CXG 79-2012);

-_        Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78-2011); and

-_        Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Foods (CXG 61-2007).

1.3.  CCFH54 continues working on the revision of the Guidelines on the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Seafood (CXG 73-2010) with a particular focus on providing consistent guidance across Codex on safer use of water in line with the Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production (CXG 100-2023).

1.2  17^th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF17, Panama City, Panama, 15-19 April 2024)

1.4.  CCCF17 agreed to send the following for final adoption by CAC47:

-_        Maximum levels (MLs) to ensure food safety and trade facilitation for lead in a variety of spices as well as cadmium and lead in quinoa which will be included in the General Standard for Contaminants in Food and Feed (CXS 193-1995) following adoption by CAC;

-_        Sampling plans for methylmercury in fish which will assist the implementations of MLs for this contaminant in different fish that are current available in CXS193;

-_        Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of ciguatera poisoning. This work was undertaken in response to a recommendation from FAO and WHO based on their foresight work to identify emerging hazards. The guidelines address or issues the increased public health concern associated with consumption of fish contaminated with this biotoxin and the source of such contamination, which is occurring in part due to, changing weather patterns.

1.5.  CCCF17 further agreed on the following new work for approval by CAC47:

-_        Revision of the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanuts (CXC 55-2004) to include additional/new risk management practices to contain contamination with aflatoxins in this product and to assist/facilitate the implementation of MLs for aflatoxins in peanuts; and

-_        Development of a code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in foods.

1.6.  CCCF17 continues working on several MLs and associated sampling plans, including the possible revision of existing or development of new codes of practice to contain contamination of food and feed with e.g. aflatoxins; acrylamide; pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and tropane alkaloids; etc., as well as other activities related to the regular/enhanced management of the committee.

1.3  54^th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA54, Chengdu, China, 22‑26 April 2024)

1.7.  CCFA54 agreed to send many food additive provisions in the General Standard for Food Additives (GFSA) (CXS 192-1995) for final adoption by CAC47.

1.8.  CCFA54 also:

-_        completed the alignment of food additive provisions in several commodity standards with those in the GSFA, ensuring that the General Standard for Food Additives becomes the single reference for food additive provisions;

-_        recommended on the new work proposal on the development of a standard for baker's yeast for reducing technical barriers to trade arising from a multiplicity of national standards for yeast.

1.9.  CCCF54 continued working on List of Codex Specifications for Food Additives (CXA 6-2023), revisions of the Class Names and International Numbering System for Food Additives (CXG 36‑1989), and additions and changes to the priority list of substances proposed for evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

1.4  43^rd Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS43, Budapest, Hungary, 13-18 May 2024)

1.10.  CCMAS43 endorsed several methods of analysis for provisions in Codex standards and the sampling plan for methyl mercury in fish to support the implementation of MLs for methyl mercury in different fish species.

1.11.  CCMAS43 also recommended to continue the discussion on the identification of methods for the determination of nitrate and nitrite ions in certain food matrices. This work will aid the development of maximum use levels and residual levels by the Committee on Food Additives.

1.5  55^th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticides Residues (CCPR55, Chengdu, China, 3-8 June 2024)

1.12.  CCPR55 agreed to send many new/revised maximum residue limits (MRLs) for different combinations of pesticides and food/feed commodities for final adoption by CAC47.

1.13.  CCPR55 further agreed to send the guidelines for monitoring the purity and stability of reference materials and related stock solutions of pesticides to allow safe use of such solutions beyond expiring date and the priority list of pesticides for evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticides (JMPR) for adoption and approval by CAC47 respectively.

1.14.  CCPR55 also:

-_        made progress in considering unsupported compounds without public health concerns that are scheduled for periodic review and the associated database on national registrations of pesticides to facilitate periodic review of pesticides;

-_        encouraged member countries to coordinate activities between their veterinary and phytosanitary offices to effectively participate in the virtual meeting of the Joint CCPR/CCRVDF Electronic Working Group that will address key issues to facilitate the establishment of single harmonized MRLs for compounds with dual use by CCPR and the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods. The exact date and time will be made available on the Codex webpage in due course;

-_        agreed to consider short-term approaches to enhance work of JMPR and CCPR to expedite the process of setting MRLs for pesticides in food and feed.

1.15.  Working documents, including the report, of the above-mentioned Codex Committee sessions are available on the respective pages on the Codex website: CCFH54, CCCF17, CCFA54, CCMAS43, CCPR55.

2  FORTHCOMING CODEX MEETINGS OF SPS RELEVANCE (As of May 2024. See the Codex website for the full meeting calendar)

2.1  86^th Session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC86, Rome, Italy, 1-5 July 2024)

2.1.  CCEXEC86 will focus on the critical review of Codex texts proposed for adoption and new work proposals for adoption/approval by CAC47 as well monitoring progress of standards development in the various technical subsidiary bodies of CAC. Furthermore, CCEXEC86 will work on the development of the Codex Strategic Plan 2026-2031 and consider working modalities for Codex.

2.2  27^th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS27, Cairns, Australia, 16–20 September 2024)

2.2.  The session will include discussion on the Draft Consolidated Codex Guidelines related to Equivalence and the draft guidelines on the prevention and control of food fraud. There will be a draft revision and update of the Principles for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool within a Food Inspection and Certification System (CXG 60-2006).

2.3.  Discussions will also cover emerging issues related to food import and export inspection and certification systems such as appeals mechanisms in the context of the rejection of imported food, standardization of sanitary requirements as well as a review and update of the list of emerging global issues affecting both approaches and technologies relating to food safety controls.

2.4.  Regular updates on the status of work of these committees are published on their dedicated webpages: CCEXEC86, CCFICS27.

2.5.  For specific questions on the status of work in Codex committees of interest to SPS delegates please check the dedicated webpages or send an email to codex@fao.org.

3  GENERAL

3.1.  The Codex secretariat in collaboration with host country secretariats are continuing to convene working group meetings and webinars in advance of Codex subsidiary sessions to support delegations' preparations and facilitate discussions and consensus-building. Further information is available on the committee webpages and the Codex calendar.

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