Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, set up by FAO and WHO in 1963, writes international food standards to protect consumers' health and ensure fair food trade.
What Codex is
Codex Alimentarius is Latin for 'food code'. It is a collection of internationally adopted food standards, guidelines and codes of practice. They are written by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which runs the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme and was set up by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1963. Its two aims are to protect the health of consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade. Codex standards are voluntary, but the WTO SPS Agreement names Codex as the reference for food safety, so in trade disputes they act as the international benchmark.
Structure of Codex
| Part | Role | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | All members meet and adopt the standards | Member countries plus the European Union |
| Executive Committee | Manages the work between sessions | Chairperson, vice-chairs and regional members |
| Secretariat | Day-to-day work | Based at FAO, Rome |
| General subject committees | Standards that apply to all foods (horizontal) | Food Hygiene, Food Additives, Pesticide Residues, Food Labelling, Contaminants in Foods |
| Commodity committees | Standards for one food group (vertical) | Spices and Culinary Herbs, hosted by India |
| FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees | Regional needs | Coordinating Committee for Asia |
| Expert bodies (outside Codex) | Scientific advice and risk assessment | JECFA (additives, contaminants), JMPR (pesticide residues), JEMRA (microbial risks) |
What Codex produces
- Commodity standards: identity, composition and quality of one food, e.g. honey, rice, black pepper.
- General standards that apply to all foods: labelling of prepackaged foods, food additives, contaminants and toxins.
- Codes of practice and guidelines: e.g. the General Principles of Food Hygiene, which include the HACCP system.
- Maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides and veterinary drugs.
- Methods of analysis and sampling.
How a Codex standard is made (simplified)
The full procedure has 8 steps; urgent work can be fast-tracked. Countries then use the standard in their own laws.
India and Codex
- India is a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
- FSSAI is India's National Codex Contact Point. A National Codex Committee advises the government, and shadow committees prepare India's views for each Codex committee.
- India hosts the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, which writes standards for spices such as black pepper and cumin.
- FSSAI harmonises Indian standards with Codex (e.g. limits for additives and contaminants), so Indian food is accepted abroad and imported food meets Indian rules.
- Indian exporters of spices, rice, tea and seafood must meet Codex-based limits in the importing countries.
Codex labelling and allergen rules shape the labels a dietitian reads, and the Codex hygiene and HACCP code is the model for hygiene practice in hospital and catering kitchens worldwide.
2 marks: “What is Codex Alimentarius?” Latin for 'food code': the collection of international food standards adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, set up by FAO and WHO in 1963.
5 marks: “Write a short note on the Codex Alimentarius Commission.” Meaning; set up in 1963 by FAO and WHO; its two aims; structure (committees, expert bodies); what it produces; WTO link; India's role (FSSAI contact point, spices committee).
Codex = F-W-63: FAO + WHO, 1963. Aims: health and fair trade. India's door: FSSAI. India's committee: Spices.