The Origins of a Global Standard for Food Quality and Safety: Codex Alimentarius Austriacus and FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius

2012 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Vojir ◽  
Erwin Schübl ◽  
Ibrahim Elmadfa
Keyword(s):  
Food Samples ◽  
European Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
Trade Barriers ◽  
Codex Alimentarius ◽  
Codex Alimentarius Commission ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Made In

In the second half of the 19th century the incidence of food adulterations increased very rapidly, prompting many European countries to put into force food laws to fight these practices. A number of parallel attempts were undertaken to establish a collection of instructions for the assessment of food samples to warrant the comparability of results obtained and interpreted by different experts. The first official steps towards such a standardization was made in 1891 at an international meeting of food chemists and microscopic scientists in Vienna. As a consequence, Austria installed a “Scientific Commission” in 1891, which drafted chapters for a future Codex Alimentarius Austriacus. In 1907, a Codex Commission was installed by the Ministry of Interior, but it took about four years, from 1907 to 1911, before the first edition of this compendium was published. So far, four editions have followed. The Codex Alimentarius Austriacus is a set of standards and guidelines for stakeholders, authorities, and law courts as a base for their activities. It has evolved over the past 100 years to become a flexible instrument, which has become indispensable for Austria. After 1945, attempts were made in different parts of the world to develop standardized rules for the testing of food samples to prevent trade barriers within the respective region. In Europe for instance, the development of a Codex Alimentarius Europaeus initiated by the Austrian Hans Frenzel, and based upon the model of the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus, made good progress. A number of other European countries were involved in this project. However, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations were intent on impeding such regional activities to prevent trade barriers at a global level. Between 1960 and 1963, steps were taken to install a FAO/WHO Codex partly in close cooperation with the Codex Alimentarius Europaeus. Since 1963, the FAO/WHO Codex Commission has issued the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, which took its name and some organizational aspects from Codex Alimentarius Europaeus, that was itself modeled after the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus. The Codex Alimentarius Europaeus was incorporated into the Codex Alimentarius Commission as the regional coordinating committee for Europe, thus providing a model for the six regional coordination committees of the Codex Alimentarius Commission existing today.

Abortion in Europe: Recent legislative changes and risk of inequality

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Andrea Cioffi ◽  
Camilla Cecannecchia ◽  
Fernanda Cioffi ◽  
Giorgio Bolino ◽  
Raffaella Rinaldi
Keyword(s):  
Induced Abortion ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
World Health ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
The World ◽  
Abortion Laws ◽  
Legislative Changes ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
European Women

BACKGROUND: Induced abortion is a medical practice that has always been much discussed all over the world. Abortion is allowed in most European countries at the request of the woman with limitations that are imposed mainly by the gestational age. However, there are legislative differences between European countries which impose stringent limits on the use of induced abortion. OBJECTIVE: This article analyzes the European legislation on abortion, with a particular focus on countries in which there have been recent legislative changes in recent years, and the possible consequent risk of inequality among European women. METHODS: Government and ministerial websites of the countries analyzed have been consulted to investigate abortion laws in Europe. In addition, the Global Abortion Policies Database of the World Health Organization was also consulted for a regulatory comparison. RESULTS: The differences between the various European countries are considerable. Although guaranteed by most legislation, abortion remains a fragile right in some European countries. CONCLUSION: Different legislation in the various countries of Europe causes difficulties for women who want to have an abortion but who reside in states where there are strict limits to abortion. In addressing the issue of induced abortion, we must not forget that the center of this practice is the woman. For this reason, it is essential to apply a reasoning based on respect for women’s rights: freedom, health, and self-determination.

scholarly journals The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of urgent surgery: a perspective from the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhiman Cheeyandira
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Surgical Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
World Health ◽  
Urgent Surgery ◽  
The World ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Made In

Abstract Corona virus pandemic has affected all the 50 states in the USA. States such as NY, CA and WA being the most affected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, as of 28 March 2020, the total number of cases in the USA is over 103 300 and number of deaths to 1668. In the coming weeks, COVID-19 rates are expected to begin skyrocketing and hit a peak in late April/May/June given lessons learned from China, Italy and others. COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) as confirmed cases approach 575 444 patients with 26 654 deaths across over 160 countries, as of 28 March 2020. There is a lot of impact on management of the urgent and emergent cases. This article highlights the changes that are being made in delivering urgent and emergent surgical care during the pandemic.

Insulin safety: what is all the fuss about?

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 467-471
Author(s):  
Anne Cartwright
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Therapy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Potential Harm ◽  
The World ◽  
National Patient ◽  
The Common ◽  
Medication Incidents ◽  
Global Initiative ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Made In

Errors in the prescribing, dispensing and administration of insulin can cause serious harm. Anne Cartwright raises awareness of the risks In 2010 National Patient Safety Alerts produced a rapid response report ‘Safer Use of Insulin’ in response to an increasing number of medication incidents leading to severe harm or death as a result of errors with insulin therapy. In 2017 the World Health Organization launched a global initiative to reduce avoidable medication error by 50% over 5 years. This article aims to raise awareness of the risks of insulin therapy, the common mistakes that can be made in the prescribing, dispensing and administration of insulin, and to inform health professionals who are involved in caring for people on insulin therapy how to reduce the risk of potential harm.

scholarly journals FOOD SECURITY AND AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN UZBEKISTAN

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.I Khamidov
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Since January 2020, the world faced one of the largest outbreaks of human history that coronavirus (Covid-19) began spreading among countries across the globe. Plenty of research institutes developed insights and estimations regarding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on agriculture and food security system. The UN estimations indicate that more than 132 million people around the world may have hunger due to the economic recession as a result of the pandemic. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is pushing forward the strategies in order for increasing food supply in developing countries and providing assistance to food producers and suppliers. World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that the pandemic may not finish by the end of 2020 and countries should be prepared for longer effects within 2021. In this regard, ensuring food security as well as sufficient food supply would be one of the crucial aspects of policy functions in developing countries.

scholarly journals Cheese, Microbiome and Obesity: A Love Triangle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Meyer ◽  
Elin Roos ◽  
Jacques Schrenzel ◽  
Frédéric Ris ◽  
Justin Davies
Keyword(s):  
European Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
Dairy Food ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Dairy Consumption ◽  
The World ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Love Triangle

Abstract IntroductionRecent evidence has shown the importance of the microbiome in the development and maintenance of obesity. Probiotics were proposed for modulating the microbiome in order to achieve weight loss.MethodsData related to consumption of dairy food in European countries were obtained from the Global Dairy Consumption Report of the European Association of Dairy Trade Eucolait. Age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in European countries was extracted from the World Health Organization Global Health Repository. Linear regression was performed.ResultsConsumption of cheese in kilogram per capita was inversely correlated to the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in 26 European countries (R2: 0.298, p=0.004).ConclusionConsumption of cheese appears to protect against weight gain. This finding deserves further confirmation by longitudinal studies or randomized controlled trials.

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