Simulation of a Codex meeting: the value of practical experience

by the Codex Contact Point of Chile

A simulation of a session of the Codex Committee on Cocoa Products and Chocolate (CCCPC) was held on 12 December 2024 at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago, Chile. The event was organized by ACHIPIA, with the support of IICA, FAO and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN).

Hernán Chiriboga, Representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Chile, and Joao Intini, FAO Food Policy and Systems Officer for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, joined the opening session, which was led by the Executive Secretary of ACHIPIA, Diego Varela Maino, who also acted as the chair of the simulation.

“Codex is very important for Chile as our regulations and legislation are based on Codex. Preparing our future delegates is important to make effective the visions, perspectives and contributions that Chile can provide to these international reference standards”, said Varela, Executive Secretary of ACHIPIA and former Vice-chairperson of Codex.

Nicolás Tobalina, National Codex Contact Point, oversaw the Secretariat during the activity and Víctor Rivera, Coordinator of International and Regulatory Affairs at ACHIPIA, participated in the board of directors of the simulation. Horrys Fraca, Specialist in Health, Agriculture and Food Safety at IICA, also supported the development of the meeting.

“In the Codex Alimentarius decisions are made by consensus and this consensus is formed among countries, after discussion of their respective positions. Therefore, the more qualified the delegations from Latin American and Caribbean countries are, the stronger our power of persuasion, action and influence on other delegations will be”, said Fraca.

Representatives from public services and industry connected to the Codex Alimentarius, participated as delegates of the meeting and were divided into small groups and countries, presenting different positions and points of view on cocoa and chocolate standards.

“I take away a great experience from this Codex simulation, where we were taught how to present and defend a country's position”, said Yohanna Caamaño, Food Safety and Certification Area Officer at Sernapesca “I am grateful to ACHIPIA and IICA for the opportunity to participate in this activity”.

Read more

Simulación de una sesión internacional del Codex Alimentarius: el valor de la experiencia llevada a la práctica (Spanish)

Photo © ACHIPIA