An International Harmonization Workshop on Standards for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables for Asian Countries was organized in cooperation with the Horticultural Science Society of Thailand (HSST), Department of Agriculture (DOA), National Bureau for Agricultural Commodities and Food Standards (ACFS) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) of Thailand from 14 – 17 November 2011 at Centara Grand Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Aims of the Workshop included:

• Building capacity on horticultural fresh produce quality standards and systems in Asian countries
• Promoting the use of the UNECE standards for fresh fruit and vegetables as international references
• Harmonizing the practical application and interpretation of UNECE standards in Asian countries
• Explaining how UNECE standards are interpreted in the exporting/importing countries
• Encouraging participation in UNECE standards development.

Please download:

• Programme


• Presentations
  • UNECE Standards
  • EU marketing standards
  • Meeting markets expectations
  • Post-harvest management
  • ASEAN GAP: food safety
  • Fresh produce marketing in Asia: mangoes
  • Inspection service in Germany
  • Inspection service in Thailand
  • Application of quality standards in Thailand
  • Standards and grading, packaging and labelling regulations in Malaysia


• Practical sessions
  • UNECE standard for mangoes
  • Comparison of UNECE and Codex standards for mangoes
  • Mango quality and marketing in Thailand
  • UNECE standard for asparagus
  • Comparison of UNECE and Codex standards for asparagus
  • UNECE standard for pineapples
  • Comparison of UNECE and Codex standards for pineapples
  • Pineapple supply chain in Thailand
  • UNECE standard for chilli peppers
    
    
• Report

An International Workshop on commercial quality standards for fresh fruit and vegetables for countries of southeast, central and eastern Europe was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in cooperation with the Association of Croatian Farmer Markets and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, from 17 to 20 October 2011 in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Please download:

• Programme


• Presentations
  • The development of standards for fruit and vegetables – Liliana Annovazzi-Jakab
  
  
  • Agricultural quality standards in EU - José Luis López Carmona
  
  
  • Commercial Quality of FFV – Experiences of Hungary – Lajos Németh
  
  
  • AgroFructus Globalgap Proizvodnja mandarina u Neretvi – Dragan Crnomarković
  
  
  • AgriCultural Cooperatives Development – ACCORD –Almir Zulić
  
  
  • Transition from national to EU legislation – Helena Srnel
  
  
  • OECD Fruit and Vegetables – Csaba Gaspar
  
  
  • Apples Malus Domestica – Fred Jacobs
  
  
  • Lettuce - Lajos Németh
  
  
  • UNECE Sandards FFV-citrus fruit - José Luis López Carmona
  
  
  • SOIVRE – Official Spanish Inspection Service - José Luis López Carmona
  
  
  • KCB Organization – Fred Jacobs
  
  
  • Certificirana seljačka tržnica – Miljenko Ernoić
  
  
  • UNECE Standards FFV- Tomatoes – José Luis López Carmona
  
  
  • Strawberries – Lajos Németh


• Report

The United Nations Economic Commission of Europe (UNECE) and the National Institute on Standardization and Metrology of the Republic of Moldova organized an international practical seminar for the CIS countries: "Use of the quality standards for fresh fruit, vegetables and dried fruits in technical rules and application of standards in international trade" from 10 to 14 October 2011 in Kishinev, Republic of Moldova.

Please download:

Programme       English         Russian

List of Presentations

• Production of FFV in Moldova
• Role of UNECE
• Quality standards in EU
• Regulations and standard in Moldova
• Plums
• Table grapes
• Sampling methods
• Sampling apples - 220 boxes
• Sampling apples - 500 boxes
• Sampling consumer packs
• Good quality apples
• Apples
• Dried fruit requirements
• Prunes
• Agen prunes
• Transformation of prunes
• Quality control in Germany
• Use of standards by METRO
• Food safety in EU
• Objective tests
• Potatoes
• Walnuts
• Development of standards in Russia
• Food safety regulation in Georgia
• Standardization office in Georgia

Report

An International Workshop on interpretation of commercial quality standards for fresh fruits and vegetables was organized by the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) from 19 to 23 September 2011 in Accra, Ghana. This Workshop was hosted by the Ghana Standards Board and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate, Ghana.

Aims of the Workshop included:

• Building capacity in the use of UNECE Standards and interpretation of international standards
• Explaining how the UNECE standards are interpreted in export markets
• Promoting the use of quality standards in African trade
• Involving African producers and traders in the development of international standards and interpretation material

Please download:

• Programme


• Presentations
  
  • UNECE standards
  • EU regulations on marketing standards
  • EU competent authority in Ghana
  • Standard for oranges
  • Standard for tomatoes
  • Standard for aubergines
  • Standards in pineapple industry in Ghana
  • Standard for pineapples
  • Draft brochure for pineapples
  • Application of standards in Kenya
  • Standard for onions
  • Standard for mangoes
  • Standard for fresh chillies


• Practical sessions
  
  • Tomatoes
  • Oranges
  • Aubergines


• Report

The United Nations Economic Commission For Europe and the Government Agency for Standardization, Metrology, Certification and Trade Inspection “Tajikstandart” jointly organized an International Workshop for Central Asian Countries: “The use of Agricultural Quality Standards in Technical Regulations and the Application of Standards in International Trade” from  5 to 8 September 2011 in Khujand, Tajikistan

Workshop organized in collaboration with the Directorate General of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia from 19 to 21 October 2010 at the Hyatt Hotel, Bandung, West Java.

Following topics were included in the workshop:

• Promoting the use of the UNECE Standard for Seed Potatoes as an international reference
• Encouraging its practical application in countries of Asia
• Organized back-to-back with the meeting of the UNECE Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes to allow participants to learn more about UNECE activities and take part in its future substantive work on the Standard

Please follow the hyperlink to access the programme,  presentations, list of participants, report and other related documents.

Workshop organized in collaboration with the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department (DAFF), South Africa Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) of South Africa from 20 to 22 April 2010 at Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset West Cape Town.

Following topics were discussed during the workshop:

• Bureau meeting in BeLux
• Annual session
• OECD newsletter

An "International seminar on food safety, traceability and quality standards for poultry meat and egg products" was organized in cooperation with the "All-Russia Research Institute of Poultry Processing Industry (“VNIIPP”)", from 29 to 30 October 2009 in Moscow, Russian Federation.

Delegation from the following countries were participated: Australia, Belarus, France, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States of America.

Following topics were discussed during the seminar:

• Compare national approaches to ensuring food safety
• Discuss methods of traceability in poultry processing industry
• Discuss traceability as part of the draft Russian regulation on poultry products
• Promoting the use of the UNECE standards for meat, eggs and egg products as international references
• Present new methods of production of poultry meat and egg products
• Invite participants to take part in UNECE substantive work on standards.

Please download the programme       English        Russian

An "International Workshop on Standardization of Meat" and " Meeting of Rapporteurs on Draft Standard for Horse Meat" was organized in cooperation with V.M. Gorbatov All-Russia Research Institute of Meat Industry “VNIIMP” from 27 and 28 October 2009 in Moscow, Russian Federation.

Delegation from the following countries were participated: Australia, Belarus, France, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States of America.

• Promoting the use of the UNECE standards for meat as international references
• Encouraging the practical application of the standards in CIS countries
• Explaining how the standards are used in developed market economies
• Explaining how meat products can be traded electronically
• Presenting proposals for a new standard on retail cuts
• Discussing a draft standard for horse meat
• Inviting participants to take part in UNECE substantive work on standards.

English and Russian programme can be downloaded

Regional Workshop on "Agricultural Quality Standards and the Use of Standards in Technical Regulations" was organized in cooperation with the Kyrgyz National Institute for Standardization and Metrology (KYRGYZSTANDART), on 14-17 July 2009, in Osh, Kyrgyzstan

Delegation from the following countried were participanted: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

Following topics were discussed during the seminar:

• Promoting the use of the UNECE standards for fresh fruit and vegetables as international references
• Encouraging their practical application in Central Asia and other CIS countries
• Explaining how the standards are interpreted in the export markets of the CIS and EU countries
• Explaining how standards can be used in technical regulations
• Inviting participants to take part in UNECE substantive work on standards.

Download the report

14^th International training course on "Harmonisation of Fruit and Vegetables Quality Assessment", was organized from 30 June to 2 July 2009 in Mojmirovce, Republic of Slovakia.

• Programme
• Presentations
• List of Participants
• Report

A four-day international workshop was organized in Nairobi from 21 to 24 April 2009, on "commercial quality standards for fresh fruit and vegetables".

The event gathered together government agencies, research institutes, producer associations, traders and growers from some 15 countries to exchange experiences and technical knowledge.

The event is being jointly organized by UNECE and Kenya Plant Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS).

This is the third in a series of UNECE activities for development, financed from the United Nations Development Account. The next workshop is planned to take place in Kyrgyzstan.

• Event announcement
• Information leaflet
• Programme
• Report

UNECE Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes (GE.6) organized a four-day international workshop on seed potatoes for countries of Africa and the Middle East, and Meeting of the Extended Bureau, 16 - 19 March 2009, Cairo, Egypt.

The event is being jointly organized by UNECE, the Central Administration for Seed Testing and Certification (of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt) (MARL-CASC), and the Fédération Nationale des Producteurs de Plants de Pommes de Terre de France (FNPPPT).

This workshop is the second in a series of UNECE activities for development, financed from the United Nations Development Account.

Programme

• Promoting the use of the UNECE Standard for Seed Potatoes as an international reference
• Encouraging its practical application in countries of Africa and the Middle East
• Specially organized back-to-back with the meeting of the UNECE Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes to allow participants to learn more about UNECE activities and take part in its future substantive work on the Standard.

More information can be obtained by following the hyperlink.

UNECE organized an international workshop on Seed Potatoes from 9 to 11 September 2008 in Kislovodsk.

• Report
  
  
• UNECE weekly
  
  
• Video (in Russian)

Joint Russia/UNECE/EU Seminar on Standards for Eggs and Egg Products, Nizhniy Novgorod, Russian Federation, 23-25 September 2008.

• EU requirements for egg imports
• Report
• UNECE weekly

Joint Russia/UNECE Seminar: “International Standards on Meat and Meat Products – a Common Language for International Trade”, Moscow, 30 September - 2 October 2008, Moscow, Russian Federation.

• Report
• UNECE weekly

• UNECE weekly

POTATO RUSSIA 2007, held in Moscow on 21-24 August 2007, was a three-part event with an international symposium, exhibition and field demonstrations, attracting 4,200 visitors from over 32 countries.

• UNECE weekly
  
  
• Article in Potato Grower

The three-day workshop on international commercial quality standards for agricultural produce, held in Ispica, Sicily on 24-26 September 2007, focused on Sicily’s major export products − table grapes, peaches and nectarines, tomatoes, sweet peppers and squash (zucchini/courgettes). Organized jointly with the Sicilian Regional Ministry of Agriculture, and Trade Point Ragusa, the workshop aimed to promote UNECE and European Commission standards relating to those agricultural products that have high export potential for that region, and also to show local growers and traders how the standards are interpreted in the countries that import Sicilian produce.

• UNECE weekly
  
  
• Report

• Dry and dried
• Meat
• Seed potatoes

• Fresh fruit and vegetables