The INC has recently travelled to Beijing, China, in the final steps towards preparation of the XXIX World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, to be held on May 21-23, 2010. Mr. Jack Mariani, Chairman, Mr. Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, and Ms. Goretti Guasch, Executive Director, met with Mr. Bian Zhenhu, Vice-President of the China Chamber of Commerce of Imports and Exports, and his team, from 17th to 20th March.

We are glad to announce that the list of participants as per today has reached over 670 attendees from over 40 countries. Over 85 attendees come from Mainland China and Hong Kong.

Don’t miss the largest event of the year!

The INC, represented by Mr. Jack Mariani, Chairman, Mr. Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, Ms. Goretti Guasch, Executive Director, Mr. Cheng Hung Kay, INC Ambassador in Hong Kong, and Mr. Michael Waring, Chairman of the Ambassadors Committee, recently travelled to Vietnam to attend the First Golden Cashew Nut Festival, held in Binh Phuoc, March 20-23, 2010.

Mr. Jack Mariani presented the INC, activities and projects, and encouraged the Vietnamese Cashew industry to join the INC in Beijing. Mr. Pino Calcagni introduced the INC Scientific and Government, providing up-to-date information about the current state of the nut and dried fruit industry and highlighting regulatory issues.

The INC delegation also met with Mr. Nguyen Thai Hoc, President of the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS), which will join the INC as member. The INC offered the possibility to establish the World Cashew Alliance under the umbrella of the INC in Bejing, with the participation of the main cashew producing countries, namely India, Vietnam, Brazil, and the African Cashew Alliance, in order to address key issues for the entire industry.

The INC Executive Committee met on March 5, 2010, in Reus, Spain, to review INC’s activities and projects, the ongoing preparation for the XXIX World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, targets for 2010, and the Strategic Plan of Action.

The Committee also discussed the Foundation’s financial state, and reviewed the Audit Committee report, and the INC Sub-Committees activities (Ambassadors and Membership Committee, Editorial and Statistics Committee, Congress Committee, and Scientific and Government Affairs Committee).

The INC, represented by Mrs. Julie Adams, Vice-Chairman of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, attended the 18th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import & Export Inspection & Certification Systems (CCFICS), in Surfers Paradise, Australia, 1-5 March 2010. The Session was attended by 160 delegates from 67 Member countries, and 5 international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) informed the Committee of recent activities of FAO and WHO to strengthen member countries’ import/export and domestic food inspection systems.

The CCFICS reviewed the report of the physical working group on the proposed draft Principles and Guidelines aimed at replacing the existing annex to the Guidelines for the design, operation, assessment and accreditation of food import and export inspection and certification systems, providing guidance to all tools used by importing countries to assess an exporting country’s official inspection and certification system.

The Committee agreed to forward the proposed draft Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Assessment of Foreign Official Inspections and Certification Systems (CAC/GL 26-1997) to the 33rd Session of the Commission for adoption.

The CCFICS reviewed the proposed draft Principles and Guidelines for National Food Control Systems. In order to facilitate the further development of the document at its next session, the Committee agreed to establish a physical working group, chaired by Australia, open to all members and observers, to prepare revised proposed draft principles and guidelines.

The INC is participating at the forthcoming 4th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF), to be held on April 26-30, 2010, in Izmir, Turkey.

Among other matters, the CCCF will discuss the Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Total Aflatoxins in Brazil Nuts and the Proposed Draft Revision of the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin in Tree Nuts (additional measures for Brazil nuts).

Over the past year, the INC has participated in the Discussion Paper on Aflatoxin Contamination in Brazil Nuts, prepared by Brazil, with contributions from FAO, the Netherlands, UK, USA, and the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA).

The INC, as Official Non-Government Observer, will be represented by Mr. Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee.

We will keep you fully informed about the conclusions of the session.

The INC has participated for the first time in ALIMENTARIA, one of the largest trade fairs in Europe, from March 22nd to 26th, 2010, in Barcelona, Spain. The exhibit presented the latest innovations in the food industry and attracted about 4,000 exhibitors from 75 countries, and over 140,000 professional visitors.

INC’s booth received a large number of visitors, providing a great opportunity to make new business contacts, while giving valuable information about nuts and dried fruits, promoting the upcoming Beijing Congress, and meeting INC members.

We thank all visitors to our stand, and hope you had a successful fair.

The international conference “Global Mycotoxin Reduction Strategies: Research Advances in Asia and the Pacific Rim” will be held in Penang, Malaysia from 1 to 4 December 2010.

This joint conference is organized by University Sains Malaysia (USM) and co-organized by International Society for Mycotoxicology (ISM), MycoRed FP7 European project and CIMMYT (Mexico).

This appointment will be very important and strategic for all the Asian and Pacific Rim community, as it will involve experts and international scientists who will be presenting the latest knowledge and researches developed in the field of toxins and mycotoxins at a global level, with focus on particular food chains most affected.

It also will represent an opportunity for the dissemination of information and networking pertaining to global scientific and policy issues.

Download the brochure and click here for details.