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World Food Safety Day: Food Safety, everyone’s business

By Claus Heggum, representative for food safety on the IDF Science and Programme Coordination Committee, and Aurélie Dubois, IDF Science and Standards Programme Manager

  IDF welcomes the first World Food Safety Day, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018, which will be celebrated on 7 June 2019 under the theme “Food Safety, everyone’s business.” It is indeed everyone’s business! Without food safety, there is no food security. In a world where the food supply chain has become more complex, any adverse food safety incident could have a catastrophic impact on public health, trade and the economy. From the farm to…

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IDF contributes its expertise on standards for methods of analysis for dairy products to Codex

By Aurélie Dubois-Lozier – IDF Science and Standards Programme Manager

    What is the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)?  The CCMAS is one of the horizontal Codex Committees that addresses Methods of Analysis and Sampling across all food commodities. This Committee has for a main role to consider, amend, if necessary, and endorse, as appropriate, methods of analysis and sampling proposed by Codex (Commodity) Committees, to specify Reference Methods of Analysis and Sampling appropriate to Codex Standards, to serve as a coordinating body for Codex…

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Family farming in a rapidly changing world

By Andrew Hoggard, Dairy Farmer and Farmer representative on IDF SPCC Science and Coordination Committee

 Introducing the UN Decade of Family Farming On 20 December 2017, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution by which it declared 2019-2028 to be the Decade of Family Farming. FAO and IFAD actively supported the campaign and have been called upon to co-lead the implementation of the Decade in cooperation with a broad range of partners. What does this mean for family farms? The UN Decade of Family Farming aims to shed new light on what it…

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LEAP Sustainability Initiatives Forging Ahead

By María Sánchez Mainar, DMV, PhD – IDF Science and Standards Programme Manager

In 2019, IDF was pleased to take up the chairmanship role in the FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) partnership, an initiative focused on improving sustainability within the livestock sector. LEAP is a multi-stakeholder initiative made up of Governments, NGOs and members of the private sector, which is hosted by FAO. It develops comprehensive guidance and methodology for monitoring the environmental performance of livestock supply chains. Since July 2012, the dairy sector, represented by IDF, has participated in LEAP…

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Celebrating the Dairy Matrix on World Health Day

By Laurence Rycken, IDF Science and standards programme manager

On Sunday, the 7th of April, World Health Day was celebrated, a day which highlights the importance of global health and focuses on the ways in which we can improve it. The relationship between diet and nutrition and the substantial impact on health is well known and has again been highlighted in a recent study in the Lancet, which found that 11 million deaths around the world can be attributed to poor dietary habits. The study shows the need for a…

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Codex Adopts Changes to Harmonise Standards for Ripened Cheeses, Removing International Trade Challenges

By Aurélie Dubois, IDF Science and Standards Programme Manager and Keith Johnston (NZ) Leader of the Action Team on Alignment of the IDF Standing Committee on Food Additives

Last week, at its 51st session in Jinan China, the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) adopted the changes needed to harmonise provisions in the 13 Codex Standards for ripened cheeses (Cheddar, Danbo, Gouda, Havarti, Edam, Samso, Emmental, Tilsiter, Saint Paulin, Provolone, Camembert, Brie and Coulommiers), removing an international trade challenge for exports of ripened cheeses. This is an important decision that will have a positive impact on the dairy sector. One of the major challenges for manufacturers, importers and…

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How the Dairy Sector is Tackling Food Waste

By Pierre Barrucand, Chair of IDF Standing Committee on Environment

The dairy sector is committed to adopting sustainable practices and ultimately being a key contributor to sustainable food systems. Of course, tackling food waste is a critical part of that effort. As the chair of the Standing Committee on Environment at the International Dairy Federation (IDF), I am honoured to have the chance to speak this week at a side event for the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi and present a case study on the dairy sector’s innovative approaches to…

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Three Reasons Dairy is an Essential Part of a Sustainable Diet

by Dr Judith Bryans, IDF President

  The UN Environment Assembly will be gathering soon in Nairobi to discuss the theme of “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production”. How we can build sustainable food systems will no doubt be at the centre of these discussions. As the President of the International Dairy Federation (IDF), every day I see the important role that dairy plays in meeting these challenges. Feeding the world with healthy and sustainable food is a goal that we all…

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Tackling antimicrobial resistance in the dairy sector is a global effort to ensure animal and public health, and food safety

By Caroline Emond, Director General The dairy sector has adopted an integrated supply chain management approach to curb the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This requires positive actions and cooperation by all players such as dairy farmers, veterinarians, dairy and meat processing companies, animal feed producers, pharmaceutical firms and regulators. The recent annual World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2018 may have concluded but AMR must continue to remain at the forefront of our continuous efforts to address this important issue. Antimicrobial…

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Our Future Depends on Ruminants

by María Sánchez Mainar, DVM, PhD, IDF Science and Standards Manager, Sustainability and Animal Care

The media often reports how consumer choices can contribute to sustainable development, for instance by adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet. As a sustainability manager working for the International Dairy Federation (IDF), I came to realize that people are continually exposed to incorrect information that is repeated without being challenged, in particular about the impact of dairy cattle on climate change. Such media statements are deepening the confusion between opinion and science, which is unfortunate, resulting in incorrect food choices…

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