International Resources: Codex Alimentarius Overview

The Codex Alimentarius Commission created in 1963 by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) oversees the Codex code. Simply stated, the Codex Alimentarius is a collection of standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations on food. Some of these texts are very general and some are very specific. Some deal with detailed requirements related to a food or group of foods; others deal with the operation and management of production processes or the operation of government regulatory systems for food safety and consumer protection. All serve the common goal of the code, that all countries join the international community in formulating and harmonizing food standards and ensuring their global implementation.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission usually meets every two years and can consider revision or consolidation of any standard as well as recommend preparation of a new standard. The procedure the Commission uses to conduct such actions follows:

The Codex Standards Process

The Codex Alimentarius has been quoted in several bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements, including the trade agreement recently enacted in 2005 between the U.S. and Australia. For a link to the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Procedural Manual please see: ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Publications/ProcManuals/Manual_15e.pdf

The Codex Alimentarius is relevant to the international food trade with its estimated US$300 billion value. The Codex Alimentarius contains more than 200 standards in the prescribed format for individual foods or groups of foods. In addition, it includes the General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods, the Codex General Guidelines on Claims, and the Codex Guidelines on Nutrition Labeling, all of which are aimed at ensuring honest practices in the sale of food while also providing guidance to consumers in their choice of products. Other general standards for food hygiene, food additives, contaminants, and toxins in food and for irradiated foodsare of pre-eminent importance in protecting consumers' health and they are valued widely for this purpose. Codex guidelines also set the maximum residue limits for pesticide use.

Examples of the code:

a) CAC/53 -2003 –Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/standard_list.do (scroll down until reach CAC categories and then match to number 53)

b) Codex Stan 229-1993 –Analysis of Pesticide Residues: Recommended Method: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/standard_list.do (scroll down until reach Codex Standard and then match to number 229)