Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agricultural Health Food and nutrition security Trade

Countries prepare for upcoming Codex Alimentarius standards on food hygiene and animal nutrition

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

Delegates from 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries reviewed standards to be approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Geneva in July.

María Luisa Díaz, Director of Quality of the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) of Costa Rica; Mary Frances Lowe, Codex Alimentarius Coordinator at the US Department of Agriculture; Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA; and Diego Varela, Codex Alimentarius Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, at the opening of the meeting on Codex standards.

San José, 27 June 2019 (IICA). Delegates from 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) reviewed the more than 27 new standards to be approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission at their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on 8-12 July.

Codex Alimentarius is the benchmark organization for food safety standards, which is recognized by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Its science-based regulations seek to ensure food safety and quality, as well as international trade free from unjustified restrictions.

The event that facilitated the discussions on the standards took place in San José, Costa Rica, and was organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), with the support of the Codex Coordinating Committee for LAC.

Delegates deliberated on aspects of the upcoming regulations on food hygiene, safety and human nutrition, in relation to the harmonization of the code of practice for fish and seafood products and food additives, as well as standards on quinoa, dried or dehydrated garlic, vegetable oils and panela, inter alia.

Erick Bolaños, Agricultural Health Specialist at IICA explained that, “Codex Alimentarius standards provide a frame of reference for national standards in each country and are designed to protect consumer health and to promote trade that is free of unjustified restrictions”.

He went on to explain that, “The standards for panela and quinoa prompted much discussion, because these two products are of particular interest to many member countries of the Institute”.

Bolaños highlighted the fact that the meeting involved a detailed review of the strategic plan that Codex Alimentarius will implement over the next few years, and of the primary principles governing that organization.

The event was attended by 37 specialists from 18 countries in the Americas.

The IICA specialist insisted that, “Currently, they are some who are pushing for the introduction of non-scientific factors into the process of adopting standards, which is something which would endanger international trade in agrifood products. It is imperative that Codex should continue to rely on science as the basis for the development of standards”.

In addition to the Costa Rica forum, the Institute will also host two online events to enable LAC countries to discuss joint strategies and to define their negotiating positions for the upcoming Codex Alimentarius international meetings.

It will also provide support to countries to facilitate their attendance at the Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in Geneva.

More information:

Erick Bolaños, Specialist in Agricultural Health, IICA.

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