b'P resideNtsN oteThe Codex AlimentariusCommission Meets Virtually for the First Time EverAnd there are advantages & disadvantagesW ithgovernmentsaroundBY SCOTT C. TIPS, NHF PRESIDENT theWorldstillmerciless-lymilkingtheCOVID-19 pandemic threatfor all it is wortheven though it is increasing-ly clear to scientists and laypeople alike that government regulators are very dis-honestly counting seasonal flu and other deathsasCOVID-19deathsandarein-flating COVID-19 cases with massive false positives from PCR tests never intended to diagnose such viral infectionsthe Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has been sufficiently alarmed as to yet further delay all of its in-person meetings.Cancelled MeetingsOne right after another, the late Spring andSummer2020meetingsthatwere still remaining on the Food and Agricul- Scott Tips appears in top row,tureOrganization(FAO)websitehadal- second box from the leftready been taken off calendar, including the meetings of the Codex Committee on GeneralPrinciplesinBordeaux,France,wouldhavepreventedmany,ifnotall,imentariusCommissionitselfwouldbe the Codex Committee on Contaminants inforeign Codex-member country delegatesheld. Normally, these well-attended meet-Foods in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the Co- frompersonallyattendingthosemeet- ings are held in alternating years in Rome, dex Committee on Residues of Veterinaryings. During the 21 years that I have beenItaly(FAOheadquarters)andGeneva, Drugs in Foods meeting in San Diego, Cal- attendingCodexmeetings,theCodexSwitzerland(WHOheadquarters).The ifornia, and the July 2020 Codex Alimen- Secretariat in Rome has always strived, toyear 2020 was to have been the year for the tarius Commission meeting in Rome, Italy.my knowledge, to have fair meetings andCAC meeting to be held in Rome. Howev-To say that these disruptions were majorkeep the playing field level for everyone.er,thealarmoverCOVID-19madesure is an understatement; but given the mediaSo, Codex had no choice but to cancel allthat this would not happen; so, the Codex and public-health officials alarm raised atof those in-person meetings in 2020. To putSecretariat went into high gear and orga-the time, the Commission acted prudentlythis change in context, in the one-year Co- nized a virtual CAC meeting for more than given the then-known circumstances. dex cycle of 2018-2019, Codex had physical600 delegates. This meeting was scheduled Moreover,manymeetingswerecan- meetings on 150 days in 20 countries; whileto take place on September 24-26, 2020, and celledbyCodexsimplybecauseseveralin 2020, Codex had physical meetings onthen,afteratwo-weekpause,againon ofthehostcountriesforthosemeetingsonly 5 days. October 12th and 19th for its concluding hadimplementedseveretravelrestric- The big question mark was how andsessions. As it happened, this schedule was tions, or even complete travel bans, thatwhen the 43rd Session of the Codex Al- prolonged.H ealtHF reedomN ews /w iNter2020 5'