Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agricultural Health

13 Caribbean countries improve their capacity to analyze and develop international food safety standards

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

IICA and the Government of Canada strengthened the capacities of the Codex Focal Points from thirteen Caribbean countries with a view to enhancing their participation in the international standard setting process.

Canada. Representatives of thirteen Caribbean countries, all members of the Codex Alimentarius, recently attended an event in Canada aimed at improving their capabilities and sharing tools that will enable them to participate more effectively in meetings to discuss international food safety standards.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) organized the meeting, which took place prior to the Codex Alimentarius Colloquium, also held in Canada in June.

In addition to creating and consolidating informal networks of contacts, the participants discussed a range of topics, including the current status of the Codex Alimentarius in the Caribbean region and the experiences of Caribbean countries with respect to international participation, institutional management and regional coordination.

Representatives of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) presented their country’s experiences in the management and administration of the Codex Alimentarius. In addition, the participants exchanged their own experiences in managing technical sub-committees and international participation, and discussed the Codex Trust Fund and its implementation.

The event, held in mid-June, was attended by the Focal Points of the Caribbean countries. Eric Bolaños, IICA Specialist in Agricultural Health and Food Safety, explained that these are the individuals responsible for managing the Codex Alimentarius in their respective countries. These individuals are also responsible for conducting technical negotiations and participating in meetings of the Codex Alimentarius committees, where international food safety standards are discussed, developed, and adopted.

According to the Focal Points, these types of events serve to improve their performance by providing an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other countries.

The event was sponsored by the government of Canada, with the cooperation of IICA and support from the governments of United States and Chile. A total of 32 representatives from 16 countries attended the meeting, 13 of whom were from the Caribbean region.

 

More information:

Eric Bolaños, IICA Specialist in Agricultural Health and Food Safety erick.bolanos@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

San José, Costa Rica

September 10, 2025

Erick Geovany Ac Tot, a cocoa entrepreneur who promotes high-quality cocoa and the preservation of ancestral trees in Guatemala, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality 

Erick Geovany Ac Tot—a prominent Guatemalan cocoa entrepreneur who has been assisting small farmer organizations, promoting high-quality cocoa production and preserving heirloom trees for years, in addition to being a cocoa taster—has been named a Leader of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). 

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Durante el llamado Diálogo Regional sobre Innovaciones para la Adaptación Climática de pequeños productores del Corredor Seco Centroamericano, los participantes discutieron temas clave como ganadería resiliente, agroforestería, innovación productiva y medidas de adaptación frente a sequías, inundaciones y otros eventos climáticos.

San Salvador

September 9, 2025

In El Salvador, Leaders of Rurality of the Americas shared experiences and engaged in dialogue with youth and specialists on ways to strengthen productivity in the Central American Dry Corridor

The leaders who participated in the meeting were Macarena Valdés and Marco Aceituno from Chile; Elvia Monzón, Gustavo Rivas and Erick Ac from Guatemala; Katy Moncada and Eodora Méndez from Honduras; and Odette Varela and Salomón Zelada from El Salvador.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Santa Fé, Darién, Panamá

September 4, 2025

Coordination between IICA and Panamanian and U.S. government authorities bolsters the fight against New World screwworm in Central America and Mexico

As part of the efforts to curb the spread of the New World screwworm (NWS), a current health threat in Central America and Mexico, the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) of Panama, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm (COPEG) organized a meeting with livestock farmers in the city of Santa Fé de Darién to strengthen health surveillance and better protect local livestock production.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins