The INC participated in the 19th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF19), which took place in Cairo, Egypt, on October 19-23, 2026. The Committee endorsed work on two initiatives in which the INC participated in the electronic working groups (EWGs) over the past year.
In 2025, the Committee established an EWG tasked with further developing the discussion paper and project document for new work on a code of practice for the prevention and reduction of ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in dried fruits. The EWG developed the discussion paper and project document for consideration by CCCF19.
The Committee agreed that the information presented was sufficient to support new work on the development of such a code. Members generally supported the proposed new work and suggested a few changes to the project document, including clarifying that the scope could also include tropical fruits (e.g. dried mango, pineapple and banana) where sufficient scientific and technical information was available. The Committee agreed to forward the project document to the 50th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC50, 2027) for approval as new work, and to establish an EWG, chaired by Türkiye and co-chaired by the UK, to develop the proposed code for consideration by CCCF20.Also in 2025, the Committee re-established the EWG tasked with proposing revisions to the Code of practice for the reduction of acrylamide in foods. The EWG revised and refined its proposed draft throughout the spring of 2026, before submitting a final draft for consideration by CCCF19.
The Committee agreed that sufficient information on new and practical mitigation measures was available to justify the revision of the code and agreed to forward the project document to CAC50 for approval as new work. The EWG, chaired by India and co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, will prepare the revised code for consideration by CCCF20 in 2027. More information