Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international food safety standards that have been adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (the “Codex”). The Codex is based in Rome and funded jointly by the FAO and the WHO.
In the early 1960s, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the importance of developing international standards for the purposes of protecting public health and minimizing disruption of international food trade. The Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program was established, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission was designated to administer the program.
The advantages of having universally agreed food standards for the protection of consumers were recognized by international negotiators during the Uruguay Round. It is not surprising, therefore, that the SPS Agreement and TBT Agreement, within the separate areas of their legal coverage, both encourage the international harmonization of food standards. Importantly, the SPS Agreement cites Codex’s food safety standards, guidelines and recommendations for facilitating international trade and protecting public health.
Over the years, the Codex has developed over 200 standards covering processed, semi-processed or unprocessed foods intended for sale for the consumer or for intermediate processing; over 40 hygienic and technological codes of practice; evaluated over 1000 food additives and 54 veterinary drugs; set more than 3000 maximum levels for pesticide residues; and specified over 30 guidelines for contaminants.
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ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
ISO originated from the union of two organisations – the ISO (International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations) and the UNSCC (United Nations Standard Coordinating Committee).
The consequences of unsafe food can be serious and ISO’s food safety management standards help organizations identify and control food safety hazards. As many of today’s food products repeatedly cross national boundaries, International Standards are needed to ensure the safety of the global food supply chain.
ISO 22000:2005 sets out the requirements for a food safety management system and can be certified to. It maps out what an organization needs to do to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe. It can be used by any organization regardless of its size or position in the food chain.
Today the ISO has grown to a confederation of delegates representing over 150 countries and has published over 16,500 international standards. They meet on a regular basis to further develop new and existing management standards.
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