The new course will help delegates to participate more effectively at meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, provide guidance on preparing a country's input to Commission's debates on food safety and quality and national standards setting.
The e-learning modules have been developed by FAO and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with support from the Government of Canada. It aims to provide in-depth knowledge of Codex Alimentarius procedures and of the international food standards setting process. It provides basic information on Codex as well as recent changes in procedures and helpful tips on forming national delegations to attend the meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, on making effective interventions at Codex meetings, on the basic concepts of food safety risk analysis, and on the relevance of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreements.
It consist of thirteen 30 to 50 minute lessons for a total of about 10 hours of self-paced learning and includes a range of e-learning methods such as storytelling, practical case studies, as well as interactive exercises. A set of PowerPoint slides, handouts and exercises, which can be easily customised by trainers for face-to-face training, are also available in the course. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body with over 170 members, operating within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme established by FAO and WHO, with the purpose of protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.
The Codex Alimentarius (Latin, meaning Food Law or Code) is a collection of internationally adopted food standards, guidelines, codes of practice and other recommendations.
