Codex Alimentarius Commission
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is a United Nations agency established in 1963 that develops international standards for food safety, nutrition, and fair trade practices. The standards and guidelines created by the CAC are collectively known as the Codex Alimentarius, which translates to "food book" in Latin. Comprising 189 member countries, including those from the European Union, the commission aims to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practices in the food industry. While compliance with Codex standards is voluntary, they serve as important references for international trade disputes, having been adopted by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The CAC addresses various issues, such as pesticide and drug residue limits, food labeling, and genetically modified food safety, through risk analysis rather than outright restrictions. However, it has faced criticism regarding its influence on global agribusiness and concerns over the regulation of dietary supplements. Despite these controversies, the Codex has had a significant impact on food production and safety standards worldwide, issuing thousands of guidelines and limits to promote public health. As of 2024, the CAC continues to evolve and maintain its commitment to global food safety, marking its sixtieth anniversary.
Codex Alimentarius Commission
DEFINITION: A commission of the United Nations that creates standards for food nutrition, food safety, and fair trade of food and food products.
DATE: Founded in 1963
Establishment and Function
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an agency of the United Nations (UN) that creates global standards and guidelines for food nutrition, food safety, and trade practices. These standards and guidelines are known collectively as the Codex Alimentarius (Latin for “food book” or “food code”).
The commission was founded in 1963 by two UN agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The FAO first formulated the idea for the commission in 1961, and WHO added its formal support in 1963. The commission comprises 189 member countries, including those of the European Union. Nongovernmental organizations cannot be members but can act in an observational capacity.
The Codex
Codex standards cover a wide range of issues, including maximum allowable levels of pesticides and drugs in plants and food animals, the use of irradiation in food processing, product labeling, and consumer protection. The CAC does not attempt to completely restrict possibly harmful substances; rather, the twenty technical subcommittees that make up the CAC use risk analysis to establish margins of safety for food products. The commission also examines the safety of genetically modified foods, but it has not established official standards in this area of concern. All codex standards are available on the CAC website.
The CAC does not have legal power, so the standards are considered simply guidelines for each nation. For example, compliance with the Codex Alimentarius is strictly voluntary. Legislation regarding food standards and labeling is the responsibility of each respective member country. Nevertheless, in 1994, the World Trade Organization (WTO) adopted the Codex Alimentarius for world trade to be used as a reference in settling disputes between countries. This adoption by the WTO effectively turned codex recommendations into international “rules” of trade.
Controversy
The Codex Alimentarius has had a tremendous global effect on the growth, processing, distribution, and consumption of food, yet most consumers have never heard of the commission or its standards. Still, the Codex remains a source of controversy. Objections have been raised against the Codex’s infringement on freedom of trade and personal choice, among other issues. One objection is that the Codex institutionalizes practices that are in the interests of global agribusiness instead of the consumer's interests.
Of particular controversy is the “Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements,” a standard that was passed in 2005 by the CAC’s Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses. For example, consumer groups favoring over-the-counter nutritional supplements have claimed that codex standards were written to favor the pharmaceutical industry. Such groups believe that under codex standards, unregulated diet supplements, such as vitamins and minerals, will be available only by prescription and that some supplements currently available will be banned.
In response, the CAC stated that it did not intend to ban supplements or require prescriptions for their use. According to the commission, the guidelines concern the composition of the supplements to ensure safety and purity. Herbal medicine is not addressed in codex guidelines.
Despite commission assertions, the WTO's adoption of Codex standards has increased concern, and for some consumer groups, the Codex remains an intensely emotional issue.
As of the mid-2020s, the Codex has issued over 240 commodity standards, more than eighty guidelines, and over 6,600 limits on pesticide residues. In 2024, the United States chairs two Codex committees: the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) and the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH). As the twenty-first century progressed, the Codex remained committed to ensuring global food safety and celebrated its sixtieth anniversary in 2024.
Bibliography
"About Codex Alimentarius." Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards, www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/about-codex/en/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.
"Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)." Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards, www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/committees/committee/en/?committee=CCFH. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.
"Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH)." Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards, www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/committees/committee/related-ewgs/en/?committee=CCSCH. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.
"Codex@60 - Celebrating the International Forum for Food Safety standards." Codex Alimentarius, 22 Dec. 2023, www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/news-and-events/news-details/ar/c/1674997. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.
"International Standard-Setting Activities." Regulations.gov, 29 June 2022, www.regulations.gov/document/USDA-2022-0016-0001. Accessed 20 Aug. 2023.
Lee, Kelley. Historical Dictionary of the World Health Organization. Langham, Mass.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1998.
"U.S. Codex Office." United States Department of Agriculture, www.usda.gov/codex. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.