- World
- Jul 15
Geneva hosts 49th session of Codex Alimentarius Commission
• The 49th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC49) was held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 6 to 10.
• It concluded with adoption of some key texts or revisions of texts.
• The Commission adopted seven Codex standards and guidelines developed under India’s chairmanship and co-chairmanship.
• The Commission approved India's proposal to undertake new work for the development of a Codex standard for cashew kernels.
Codex Alimentarius
• International food trade has existed for thousands of years but until not too long ago, food was mainly produced, sold and consumed locally. Over the last century, the amount of food traded internationally has grown exponentially, and a quantity and variety of food never before possible travels the globe today.
• The international trade in food is now worth over $1.7 trillion annually.
• The Codex Alimentarius, or “Food Code”, is a collection of standards, guidelines and codes of practice developed by consensus and based on the most robust up-to-date science available.
• It includes standards for all the principal foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, for distribution to the consumer.
• The Codex Alimentarius includes provisions in respect of food hygiene, food additives, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, contaminants, labelling and presentation, methods of analysis and sampling, and import and export inspection and certification.
• Public concerns about food safety issues often place Codex at the centre of global debates.
How a Codex Standard is developed?
• The procedures for preparing standards are well defined, open and transparent.
• A national government or a subsidiary committee of the Commission usually makes the proposal for a standard to be developed. They then prepare a discussion paper that outlines what the proposed standard is expected to achieve, and then a project document that indicates the time frame for the work and its relative priority.
• The Commission reviews the project document and decides whether the standard should be developed as proposed.
• The preparation of a proposed draft standard is arranged by the Commission Secretariat and circulated to member governments, observer organisations and other Codex committees for two rounds of comments and special advice.
• Standards can take several years to develop. Once adopted by the Commission, a Codex standard is added to the Codex Alimentarius.
• Codex standards are based on sound science provided by independent international risk assessment bodies or ad-hoc consultations organised by FAO and WHO.
• Codex standards and related texts are voluntary in nature. They need to be translated into national legislation or regulations in order to be enforceable.
• Codex standards ensure that food is safe and can be traded.
• The texts contained in the Codex Alimentarius are considered the benchmark standards for international commerce in food, and as such are recognised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
• They facilitate cross-border exchange while preventing and helping to resolve trade disputes. Codex texts are not mandatory but governments frequently use them as the basis for national legislation.
• The texts are adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Who decides on standards in Codex?
• Since its beginnings in 1963, the Codex system has evolved in an open, transparent and inclusive way to meet emerging challenges.
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodies are committed to elaborate as necessary of Codex standards and related texts to ensure that they are consistent with and reflect current scientific knowledge and other relevant information.
• Each member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is responsible for identifying, and presenting to the appropriate committee, any new scientific and other relevant information which may warrant revision of any existing Codex standards or related texts.
Codex Alimentarius Commission
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission emerged following a four-year process and met for the first time in Rome from June 25 to July 3, 1963. That inaugural meeting is taken as the date that Codex came into being.
• It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in the food trade.
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission is based in FAO in Rome.
• It currently comprises 188 member countries and one member organisation (The European Union). There 246 Observers, of which 60 are inter-governmental organisations, 170 are non–governmental organisations and 16 are United Nations agencies.
• The Commission meets in regular session once a year alternating between Geneva and Rome.
• The programme of work of the Commission is funded through the regular budgets of WHO and FAO with all work subject to approval of the two governing bodies of the parent organisations.
Codex Alimentarius and India
• The National Codex Contact Point (NCCP) of India has been constituted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for keeping liaison with the Codex Alimentarius and to coordinate Codex activities in India.
• NCCP for India coordinates and promotes Codex activities in India in association with the National Codex Committee and facilitates India’s input to the work of Codex through an established consultation process.
India’s proposals
• Cashew kernels do not currently have a dedicated Codex standard.
• India said the new standard, to be developed under the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables, would harmonise international quality and safety requirements, reduce technical barriers to trade and strengthen market access for Indian exporters.
• Among the standards adopted at the session were those for dried coriander seeds and fresh curry leaves, both developed under India’s chairmanship.
• The coriander standard is intended to support trade in one of the most widely traded spices.
• The curry leaf standard sets an international benchmark for the herb.
The Commission also adopted five texts developed under India's co-chairmanship:
i) Standards for vanilla and large cardamom.
ii) Annexes to guidelines on the safe use and reuse of water in food production.
iii) Guidelines to control campylobacter and salmonella in chicken meat.
iv) Provisions on joint presentation and multipack formats under Codex labelling rules.
• India was also elected co-chair of an electronic working group on new food sources and production systems, which will review existing regulatory frameworks and consider whether further Codex guidance is needed.