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Safe and nutritious food plays an essential role in providing for the health and wellbeing of people around the world, as well as supporting communities by driving economic development and alleviating poverty. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The special dietary foods industries are proud to provide people with the essential safe and nutritious foods they need to live, grow and thrive, as well as support the Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger, good health and wellbeing through building partnerships for food safety. The quality and safety of food products is, and remains, an absolute priority for our industry.

During the current public health crisis, we have put all necessary measures in place to ensure that our foods for special dietary use, such as infant formulas and foods for special medical purposes, are available to provide for the specific nutritional requirements of those that need them most.

Since 1973, ISDI has supported the work of Codex Alimentarius to establish science-based food standards, guidelines and codes of practice that ensure food safety and quality. As an international organisation, we are committed to continue working with regulators, policy-makers and other stakeholders to improve the health and wellbeing of current and future generations, and enhance food security.

Our members around the world work together with national authorities to ensure safe and nutritious foods are available for people with special dietary needs, providing support in regulating food safety along the entire food chain and ensuring international standards are met or even surpassed. Our industry goes further in supporting food security by using sustainably managed and renewable resources, more efficient operations, waste management and environmentally-friendly packaging. Moreover, ISDI members form partnerships for sustainable food production and encourage their partners to adopt best practices.

We welcome the second World Food Safety Day as an opportunity to recognise the people who help keep our food safe and celebrate the role of safe and nutritious food in providing for the health and wellbeing of people around the world.

ISDI is pleased to announce the publication of a new guidance brochure on Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP).

The brochure provides a comprehensive overview of the international standards on FSMPs developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and can be used as a training or educational resource by food business manufacturers, as well as provide the basis for discussions on FSMP standards with national authorities.

Jean Christophe Kremer, ISDI Secretary General said: “This brochure aims to be a ‘one-stop shop’ on FSMP Codex Standards that would not otherwise be accessible in one place. It facilitates the reading of these Codex Standards for audiences from national authorities to manufacturers and other interested parties”.

• The Codex standard for the labelling of and claims for FSMP, CODEX STAN 180-1991
• The FSMP section of the Codex standard for infant formula and formulas for special medical purposes intended for infants, CODEX STAN 72-1981
• The Codex standard for formula foods for use in very low energy diets for weight reduction, CODEX STAN 203-1995

As FSMPs are a category of Food for Special Dietary Use (FSDU), the brochure complements the ISDI FSDU brochure published in 2018.

At the International Special Dietary Foods Industries, food safety is at the heart of everything we do. This is even more the case during these unprecedented times, where foods for special dietary management may be a critical necessity to meet the specific nutritional requirements of those in need.

We are working hard with our global network of members and communities to ensure that safe foods for special dietary needs continue to be supplied to the people who need them during the global health pandemic of COVID-19. As an industry, we are putting all necessary measures in place throughout the supply chain to fulfil the increase in demand and we are working closely with retailers to replenish our products in stores quickly.

We would like to assure consumers, parents, caregivers and healthcare professionals that all foods for special dietary uses manufactured by ISDI members remain safe for consumption. The strictest quality and safety standards, including hygiene measures, remain in place across the value chain.

ISDI continues to apply all appropriate measures to ensure the health and safety of our staff, partners and communities in which we operate are guaranteed. All ISDI employees are now working from home to ensure business continuity. As a consequence of the current situation, all meetings are now conducted virtually and the annual regional meeting has been postponed to 2021.

You can count on us to continue to serve you with the highest quality foods for special dietary needs.

As a Codex Observer, the International Special Dietary Foods Industries (ISDI) contributed and shared its expertise at the 41^st session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU 41), which took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 24 to 29 November 2019.

ISDI welcomes the good progress made by participating delegates from more than 100 countries and stakeholders/representatives of civil society. The participants provided their expertise to assess the latest available nutrition science in order to develop standards for safe foods, protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.

Follow-up formulas are specific foods intended for babies

All participating countries and observers committed to setting clear and implementable standards for follow-up formulas (FUF) at global level that reflect feeding realities from across the globe.

The standards, to be finalised at the next Committee meeting, will guide and promote the establishment of definitions and requirements for FUF, but will also reflect how these specially formulated foods help provide key nutrients to toddlers as part of a diversified diet.

During this session, special attention was given to the definition and labelling of these foods.

Additives for use in ‘Foods for Special Medical Purposes’ given green light

ISDI also welcomes the extensive deliberations on food additives for use in infant foods since additives are critical to these highly specialised nutrient-dense formulations.  

The Committee gave a green light to the use of two food additives in ‘Foods for Special Medical Purposes’ for infants – xanthan gum and pectins. The upcoming authorisation of these additives will ensure the availability of safe and high quality foods for infants suffering from particular medical conditions.

Substantial progress on guidelines for ‘Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods’

Finally, Member Countries agreed to develop guidelines for ‘Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods’ (RUTF). These foods address severe acute malnutrition for infants and young children below 5 years, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The substantial progress made at this session will enable the finalisation of guidelines at the next session.

ISDI looks forward to contributing to the upcoming work of the Committee and participating in the next annual CCNFSDU meeting in November 2020.