Need for global regulation
- National laws constitute a barrier to international trade. Legal limits for basic non-polluting ingredients vary between countries. A legal framework is needed to regulate this activity and promote honest trade practices.
Objective of the Codex Alimetarium
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) was created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food standards, regulations and other related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO (OAA) / WHO (WHO) Food Standards Program.
Objective to standardize and alleviate differences in food laws among the UN (UN) countries.
The main subjects of this Program are:
-Protecting the health of consumers, ensuring fair trade practices.
-Coordinate the initiatives of all food standards agreed by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
-Prioritize and prepare draft standards through and with the help of appropriate organizations.
The main subjects of this Program are:
-Finish the standards and after being accepted, publish them in the Codex Alimentarium as regional or global standards.
-Modify the published norms, after the opportune study, in light of the circumstances.
Organization of the Joint FAO / WHO Standards Program
The general committees work with the help of joint FAO / WHO expert committees including JECFA and JMPR.
Codex Alimetarium
Types of norm of this Program:
- General Norms. Norms for Products.
Auxiliary organs:
General affairs committees
- Codex Committees
Product Committees
- Coordinating Committees.
Codex Alimetarium: General Standards
- Food labeling Food additives Contaminants Methods of analysis and sampling Food hygiene Food and nutrition for special diets Food import and export inspection and certification systems
(http://www.fao.org/es*/esn/codex/STANDARD/standard.htm)
- Residues of veterinary drugs in food Pesticide residues in food
Codex Alimetarium: Product Standards Format
- Scope of application: including the name of the standard Description, essential composition and quality factors:
definition of the minimum standard for food. • Food additives: only those authorized by FAO (OAA) and WHO (OMS).
- Contaminants Hygiene and weights and measures Labeling: in accordance with the Codex General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods Methods of analysis and sampling.
Codex Alimetarium: Structure
Volume 1A- General requirements.
Volume 1B- General requirements (food hygiene). Volume 2A- Pesticide residues in food (general texts).
Volume 2B- Pesticide residues in food (maximum residue limits).
Volume 3- Residues of veterinary drugs in food.
Volume 4- Foods for special diets (including foods for infants and children)
Codex Alimetarium: Structure
Volume 5A- Quickly frozen and processed fruits and vegetables.
Volume 5B- Fresh fruits and vegetables.
Volume 6- Fruit juices.
Volume 7- Cereals, legumes (legumes) and derived products and vegetable proteins.
Volume 8- Fats and oils and related products.
Volume 9- Fish and fishery products.
Volume 10- Meat and meat products; soups and broths. Volume 11- Sugars, cocoa and chocolate products and various products.
Volume 12- Milk and milk products.
Volume 13- Methods of analysis and sampling.
The content of each volume is well structured to facilitate consultation. Volume 1A For example:
- General principles of the Codex Alimentarium Definitions for the purposes of the cCodesx Alimentarius Code of Ethics for International Trade in
Foods
- Food labeling Food additives - including General Standard for Food Additives Contaminants in food - including General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods Irradiated foods Food import and export inspection and certification systems.
Generals (Host Country)
- Committee on General Principles (France) Committee on food labeling (Canada) Committee on Methods of Analysis and Collection
Samples (Hungary)
- Committee on Food Hygiene (USA) Committee on Pesticide Residues (Netherlands)
Generals (Host Country)
- Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants
(Holland)
- Committee on Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (Australia) Committee on Nutrition and Food for Regimes
Specials (Germany)
- Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (USA)
About Products (Host Country)
- Committee on Fats and Oils (United Kingdom) Committee on Fish and Fishery Products
(Norway)
- Committee on Milk and Milk Products (New
Zealand)
- Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Mexico) Committee on Cocoa and Chocolate Products (Switzerland) Committee on Sugars (United Kingdom) Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables
(United States of America)
About Products (Host Country)
- Committee on Vegetable Proteins (Canada) Committee on Cereals, Legumes and Legumes
(United States of America)
- Committee on Processed Meat Products
(Denmark)
- Committee on Soups and Broths (Switzerland) Committee on Meat Hygiene (New Zealand) Committee on Natural Mineral Waters (Switzerland)
Achievements of the Codex Alimentarium
237 Food Standards for Products
41 Codes of Hygienic or Technological Practice
185 Pesticides evaluated
3,274 Limits for pesticide residues
25 Guidelines for Contaminants
1,005 Food additives evaluated
54 Veterinary drugs evaluated
Standards Preparation Procedure
- Submission of a proposal Decision by the Commission or the Executive Committee that a standard be developed in accordance with the proposal Commission Secretariat prepares draft standard and distributes it Comments are reviewed by the commissioning body and submits a text to the Commission as Draft standard If the draft is approved by the Commission it is sent to governments on successive occasions, if it is satisfactorily concluded it becomes a Codex standard. Once adopted it is added to the Codex Alimentarium.
Acceptance of the Standards by Member States
- Full acceptance Acceptance with specified exceptions, and Free distribution
Global Level Regulations:
Microbiological specifications
- Lack of harmonization in tolerance and methods. List of specifications.
Global Level Regulations:
Microbiological specifications
- International Commission for
Food Microbiological Specification (ICMSF)
- 16 food microbiologists from 9 countries. Sponsored by the International Union of Microbiological Societies. Linked to FAO and WHO.
Global Level Regulations: Microbiological Specifications
- ICMSF Goal:
-Guide based on a scientific approach to governments and industry on microbiological food safety
- ICMSF objectives.
-Develop on a scientific basis microbiological criteria and principles for its application.
- Overcome difficulties due to differences in microbiological specifications
Global Level Regulations:
ICMSF achievements
- Book series: Microorganisms in Food.
- Their significance and enumeration methods Sampling for microbiological analysis: Principles and specific applications Microbial food ecology Application of HACCP Characteristics of microbial pathogens Microbial ecology of food products
