Dominica Bureau of Standards to host a workshop on the food code facilitated by Codex Experts from Costa Rica & Chile

The Dominica Bureau of Standards in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will host a one-and-a-half-day workshop on Codex Alimentarius.
 
The Codex Alimentarius or "Food Code" was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1963, to develop harmonised international food standards, which protect consumer health, and promote fair practices in food trade.
Codex standards ensure that food is safe and can be traded. Dominica has been a member of Codex since 1970. The Dominica Bureau of Standards was appointed the National Codex Contact Point for Dominica, to liaise with the Codex Secretariat in Rome.
 
The Bureau has since sought to establish a National Codex Committee (NCC), to facilitate the work of Codex nationally. The NCC is a consultative body made up of food related organizations in Dominica. It reviews Codex Standards and related texts, and make recommendations on Dominica's participation in the Codex program.
 
According to a release, this workshop targets the members of the NCC and policy makers, to strengthen the capacity for the National Codex Contact Point/Secretariat to effectively coordinate the activities of Codex on a national level; To strengthen the capacity of the members of the National Codex Committee and sub-committees to effectively participate in the work of codex; and to sensitize policy makers on the importance of the Food Code, Codex structure, committees and scientific bodies.
 
This workshop takes place on March 17 & 18. It will be facilitated by Codex Experts from Costa Rica and Chile, with support from IICA.