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The 47th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC47) met from 25 to 30 November 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, to adopt food safety and quality standards with a focus on meeting future needs . The session also saw the election of a new chairperson and three vice-chairpersons .

On 29 November the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety hosted several side events. These events provided valuable insights into WHO’s initiatives in the context of Codex guidance and underscored the importance of global collaboration in advancing food safety standards.

Beyond food safety: effective labelling for healthier food

This side event emphasized the importance of food labelling as a transparent, government-led measure to protect consumers from both unsafe and unhealthy foods. It highlighted forthcoming WHO guidelines on nutrition labelling policies, including front-of-pack labelling, and updates on food classification policies. Experiences from the WHO Region of the Americas were shared, where 11 countries have implemented mandatory front-of-pack labelling. The event also discussed healthy diets and nutrition labelling in the context of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) , emphasizing countries’ rights to regulate for consumer health despite trade implications.

Watch the full playback here , with presentations available here .

Promoting food safety and access to safe trade: the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)

This session introduced the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) , highlighting their collaborative efforts to strengthen country capacities in food safety standards and implementation. While CTF focuses on enhancing participation in Codex, STDF facilitates safe and inclusive food trade. They share information on ongoing projects to create synergies and provide combined benefits. The plenary discussion highlighted new opportunities for joint projects, information sharing, and leveraging networks and platforms.

Watch the full playback here , with presentations available here .

Foodborne disease data for action: national engagement to finalize the next WHO burden estimates

This side event detailed the upcoming 2nd Edition of the WHO Estimates of the Burden of Foodborne Diseases , set for release at the end of 2025. This edition will provide incidence, death and the public health burden estimates caused by a range of food hazards , from 2000 to 2021 where possible, for all WHO Member States. The findings could be used to inform the national ranking of food safety risk and the economic cost of foodborne diseases , an estimate to be produced jointly with the World Bank. Over 120 experts contributed to collect data through systematic reviews , with a global source attribution study underway. A Member State consultation will be held in early 2025 to review national estimates. Governments were invited to engage with WHO to join forces in this collective effort to finalize these estimates in line with WHO’s data principles . These estimates will inform policymaking, improve food safety standards, and support the strengthening of national food safety systems.

Watch the full playback here , with presentations available here .

Spotlight on the new WHO Alliance for Food Safety

This session introduced the WHO Alliance for Food Safety , a new network of WHO Collaborating Centres and partners focused on enhancing global food safety. The Alliance aims to drive collaboration, share knowledge, and implement the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022-2030 , with a focus on foodborne disease surveillance and contamination monitoring. Its objectives include fostering multisectoral coordination, advocating for strong legal frameworks, building capacity in relevant laboratories, generating and sharing high-quality data, and exchanging best practices among members.

Watch the full playback here , with presentations available here .

About Codex

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the Codex Alimentarius Commission is the United Nations’ body charged with setting food standards to protect consumer health and facilitate fair practices in international food trade. Comprising 188 Member Countries, 1 Member Organization (the European Union) and 240 Observer Organizations, the Commission meets annually to adopt food safety and quality standards and related recommendations.