Although Codex Alimentarius was established in 1962, it has risen in prominence in recent years as more countries have aligned their national food standards, particularly in the case of so-called ‘invisible ingredients’ such as additives and residues. Alan Osborn explains the role and significance of Codex, and forecasts its future initiatives.

We all want food that’s safe to eat and we rightly regard any new ingredients or processes with suspicion until tests prove them acceptable. But countries differ on what’s meant by “new” and some want stricter tests than others. GM foods? Beef hormones? Irradiation? Cyclamates? Love them or hate them, these and other food safety matters have become hot political subjects in recent years.

No surprise then that there is today a new focus on the role of the international food standards organisation, Codex Alimentarius, maintained by a Rome-based intergovernmental statutory Commission with a 165-country membership. Its stated purpose is “to protect the health of consumers, to ensure fair practices in food trade and to promote coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organisations.”

Established in 1962 to implement the Foods Standards Programme drawn up by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, Codex Alimentarius draws its Latin name from a food identity list operating a century ago in Austria – it simply means “food code.” The Codex sets standards, which member countries may “accept” in a number of different forms according to whether they are commodity standards, general standards, or prescribed levels for pesticides, veterinary drug residues and food additives. In practice though, it’s difficult for many countries to accept these standards in a statutory form.

“Differing legal formats and administrative systems, varying political systems and sometimes the influence of national attitudes and concepts of sovereign rights impede the progress of harmonisation and deter the acceptance of Codex standards,” says its Commission. Even so, it claims that the process of harmonisation “is gaining impetus by virtue of the strong international desire to facilitate trade.”More and more countries are aligning their national food standards, or parts of them, with those of the Codex Alimentarius” and this is particularly so in the case of additives, contaminants and residues” – the invisible ingredients.

In consequence, Codex has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade with “an enormous impact on the thinking of food producers and processors as well as on the awareness of consumers.”

“Failure to ensure food safety will close off access to international trade”

The point here is trade. Nobody is going to force a country to ensure food safety for its own citizens but failure to do so would shut it out of the international food market, valued at up to US$400bn. This is made clear in the Uruguay Round (WTO) Agreements on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade, both of which specifically encourage the international harmonisation of food standards.

Unsafe food can have extremely disagreeable, even fatal, consequences for consumers. But there are other factors of concern to manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Food-borne illnesses can hit trade and tourism leading to loss of earnings, unemployment and litigation. Poor quality food can destroy the commercial credibility of suppliers, while food spoilage is wasteful and costly.

Then there’s the issue of hidden protectionism. No country wants to import rotten food but laws to deter it could be so strict that they amount to a trade barrier, making it all the more important to have a world body to lay down the standards.

Codex Alimentarius contains more than 200 product-specific standards as well as general standards for labelling prepackaged foods and guidelines on claims and nutrition labelling. Other general standards cover hygiene, additives, contaminants and toxins, irradiated foods, and residue limits for pesticides and veterinary drugs. The Codex includes a Code of Ethics for International Trade in Food aimed at preventing exporters from dumping poor-quality or unsafe food on to international markets.

These codes and standards are supported by the Codex Commission’s constant work in publishing scientific texts and convening committee and other meetings of the top people in food safety. Codex committees scheduled for the next few

“Biotechnology in food processing and raw food production is a current priority for Codex “

months will cover matters ranging from food labelling, cocoa products and food hygiene to fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, among other things.

One recent Codex achievement has been in biotechnology where it reports “significant progress in setting standards.” A task force of officials from 35 countries and 24 non-governmental organisations including consumer, industry and environmental groups, reached near consensus on “general principles for risk analysis” with only the issue of traceability left open for further discussion.

For the future, the Commission sees the consumer protection elements of the Codex Alimentarius gaining in importance while the compositional or “recipe” elements of individual commodity standards “do not appear to attract as much interest as before.” The role of biotechnology in food processing and raw food production is a current priority and a possible signal of future Commission activities.

By Alan Osborne, just-food.com correspondent

*Internet browsers will find the website at:
http://www.codexalimentarius.net comprehensive and informative.

Alternatively contact the organisation at:
Secretariat of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome
Italy

Telephone: +39(06)5705.1;
Telefax: +39(06)5705.4593;
Telex: 610181 FAOI