WARSAW, Poland, Feb. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since Poland joined the European Union the value of exports of agri-food products has increased: from €5.4 billion in 2004 to €54 billion in 2023, said Stefan Krajewski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the guest of honor at a seminar of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council titled "Safety, Europe!", organized by the Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (GIJHARS).
"The food that reaches us should be safe. Cooperation between the ministry and many institutions is extremely important so that we can be sure that food meets all standards. It is also important that we operate within the EU and exchange information," Minister Krajewski said.
The event "Safety, Europe!" The Role of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission in Food Safety and the Polish Presidency of the EU was held under the patronage of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, with Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Czeslaw Siekierski acting as honorary patron.
The purpose of the event contained a general presentation of the activities of the Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection and its tasks in the field of international cooperation with particular emphasis on its activities at the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. The seminar also aimed to discuss the role of the Inspection during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Dr. Przemyslaw Rzodkiewicz, Chief Inspector of the Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection, said that the Inspection, by virtue of its competence to coordinate Poland's cooperation with selected international organizations, is the leading institution in the work of the Council of the EU's Task Force on International Food and Agricultural Questions.
"As the presidency, we represent the entire EU at international organizations, in the case of the Inspection it is the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission," Dr. Rzodkiewicz pointed out.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the largest intergovernmental organization dealing with food and international trade of food products.
During the first half of 2025, the Inspection experts a.o. will chair nine meetings of EU member state representatives and European Commission experts in Brussels. They will be aimed at preparing member states to represent EU interests at the FAO/WHO global food standards program.
Source: GIJHARS
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