The World Bank and the World Trade Organisation have established a new international fund – the Standards and Trade Development Facility – which will help developing countries implement the strict and complex standards that are erected for the food trade by bodies such as Codex Alimentarius.


Indeed, the Codex and its parent, the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, are expected to help fund the new fund, along with the World Food Organisation and the Office International des Épizooties, which promotes animal health.


The bank has already allotted US$300,000 to the facility, which will be run by the WTO. A statement from the bank said: “Developing countries say they often have difficulty meeting disease and contaminant standards for their food exports to richer countries’ markets. The new facility will help these nations strengthen and better implement food safety and plant and animal health measures.”