The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations relating to food, food production, food labeling, and food safety.

1. CODEX
Submitted by: ARATI YADAV
MSc. Honors FOOD TECHNOLOGY

2. C O D E X A L I M E N T A R I U S is about safe,
good food for everyone - everywhere.
 The Codex Alimentarius Commission(CAC) is
food standards body established jointly by
Agriculture organization (FAO) and the World
Organization (WHO) in May 1963 with the
protecting consumer’s health and ensuring
food trade.
 India became the member of Codex
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS

4. Purpose of CODEX
 Protecting consumers’ health
 Ensuring fair practices in the food trade.
 To guide and promote the elaboration and establishment of definitions and
requirements for foods to assist in their harmonization and in doing so to facilitate
international trade.

5. Scope of CODEX
 The Codex Alimentarius includes standards for all the principal foods, whether
processed, semi-processed or raw, for distribution to the consumer.
 Materials for further processing into foods should be included to the extent
necessary to achieve the purposes of the Codex Alimentarius as defined.
 The Codex Alimentarius includes provisions in respect of food hygiene, food
additives, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, contaminants, labelling
and presentation, methods of analysis and sampling, and import and export
inspection and certification.

6. Mandate of CODEX
 To establish international food standards to protect the health of consumer
 To ensure fair practices in the food trade, while promoting coordination of food
standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental
organizations.

7. Nature of CODEX Standards
 Are not a substitute for, or alternative to national legislation.
 Contain requirements for food aimed at ensuring for the
consumer a safe, wholesome food product free from
adulteration, correctly labelled and presented.
 A Codex standard for any food or foods should be drawn up in
accordance with the Format for Codex Commodity Standards
and contain, as appropriate, the sections listed therein.
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8. CODEX Standards and texts
• “Voluntary in nature, Codex standards can be general or specific and are recognize
d by WTO Agreements as reference standards”
• Codex texts are voluntary and non-binding. For harmonization, with regard to
has identified and chosen the standards, guidelines and recommendations
Alimentarius Commission for food additives, veterinary drug and pesticide
analysis and sampling, and codes and guidelines of hygienic practice. This means
considered scientifically justified and are accepted as the benchmarks against
regulations are evaluated.
• However, only if there is an adequate scientific justification, members may
phytosanitary measures which result in a higher level of sanitary or phytosanitary
achieved by measures based on the relevant international standards, guidelines or

9. Examples of some popular standards
CXS 193-1995
General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed
CXC 1-1969
General Principles of Food Hygiene
CXS 1-1985
General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods
CXG 2-1985
Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling
CXM 2
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and Risk Management Recommendations (RMRs) for Residues of
Veterinary Drugs in Foods
CXS 192-1995
General Standard for Food Additives

10. Procedure of
Developing
Standards

11. Organizational Structure
Executive Committee Secretariat
General Committees
(9)
Committees adjourned
(4)
ad hoc Task Forces
(3)
Active Committees
(7)
Commodity Committees
and Task Forces
Regional Committees
(6)
Codex
Alimentarius Commission
Currently the Codex Alimentarius Commission has 189 Codex Members (188 Member
Countries + 1 Member Organization (The EU)).

12. Main Organizational Elements:
 Commission
 Executive Committee
 Codex Secretariat
 Codex subsidiary bodies

13. Executive Committee
It is responsible for managing the standards development process,
developing the draft strategic plan, reviewing applications for observer
status and making other recommendations about the general direction of
the Commission’s work.
The Executive Committee meets between Commission sessions.
The Executive Committee is chaired by the Chairperson of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission.
The total membership of the Codex Executive Committee is 17.
It is comprised of:
• Chairperson
• Three Vice Chairpersons
• One elected member country

14. CODEX Secretariat
 Secretariat comprises a small team of professional and technical officers and support staff (who are responsible for the preparation,
management and distribution of information from Codex committees to members and observers on matters such as proposed draft
standards, revisions to texts and the publication of committee reports. Food Standards Officers are international specialists, normally
with a background in food safety control, public health, standard setting, food technology, chemistry, microbiology or veterinary
medicine).
 The Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, hosted at FAO headquarters in Rome provides coordination and liaison across
the entire spectrum of Codex activities.
The current Secretariat is made up of:
•6 Food Standards Officers
•2 Seconded Food Standards Officers from Japan and Republic of Korea
•1 Information Systems Officer
•9 Support staff and Consultants for IT, Web & Communications, Document Management and Editing
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presentation title 14

15. Codex committees
•General Subject Committees (sometimes referred to as horizontal),
•which establish standards and guidelines applicable to all foods
-develop all-embracing concepts and principles applying to foods in general, specific foods or groups of foods
•endorse or review relevant provisions in Codex commodity standards
•develop major recommendations pertaining to the health and safety of consumers
•Commodity Committees (sometimes known as vertical), which prepare standards for specific commodities;
•FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees, through which regions or groups of countries coordinate food standards activities in the region,
including the development of regional standards;
•promote mutual exchange of information on proposed regulatory initiatives and problems arising from food control;
•promote the use of Codex standards in the region, and monitor the use of adopted Codex texts; and
•exercise the general coordination in the preparation of standards related to the specific region or groups of countries.
•Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces,
are established with a specific mandate and for a limited period of time, not normally exceeding four years and prepare stand
ards and guidelines on specific issues.
Currently there is Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial resistance. This task force is hosted by Republic o
f Korea.

16. General Subject Committees
• CCCF: Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods
• CCFA: Codex Committee on Food Additives
• CCFH: Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
• CCFICS: Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
• CCFL: Codex Committee on Food Labelling
• CCGP: Codex Committee on General Principles
• CCMAS: Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling
• CCNFSDU: Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses
• CCPR: Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues
• CCRVDF: Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods

17. CCCPL: Codex Committee on Cereals, Pulses and Legumes
CCFFV: Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
CCFO: Codex Committee on Fats and Oils
CCPFV: Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables
CCS: Codex Committee on Sugars
CCSCH: Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (Hosted by India)
CCMMP: Codex Committee on Milk and Milk products
Codex Commodity Committees

18. FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees
• Six coordinating committees, i.e. one each for the following regions:
• Africa(CCAFRICA)
• Asia(CCASIA)*
• Europe (CCEURO)
• Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC)
• Near East (CCNEA)
• North America and the Southwest Pacific(CCNASWP)
• * India is the current Regional Coordinator for CCASIA

19. National CODEX Contact Point
• NCCP has been constituted by the Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India for keeping liaison with the
Codex Alimentarius and to coordinate Codex activities
in India
• NCCP for India coordinates and promotes Codex
activities in India in association with the National
Codex Committee and facilitates India’s input to
the work of Codex through an established
consultation process.

20. CODEX Contact Points
• Act as the link between the Codex Secretariat and Member countries.
• The CCPs act as the liaison point with the food industry, consumers, traders and all other
concerned to ensure that the government is provided with an appropriate balance of
policy and technical advice upon which to base decisions relating to issues raised in the
context of the Codex work;
• Coordinate all relevant Codex activities within their own countries;
• Receive all Codex final texts (standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other advisory
texts) and working documents of Codex sessions and ensure that they are circulated to
those concerned within their own countries;
• Send comments on Codex documents or proposals to the Codex Alimentarius
Commission or its subsidiary bodies and/or the Codex Secretariat

21. Contd..
• Act as a channel for the exchange of information and coordination
of activities with other Codex Members;
• Receive the invitation to Codex sessions and inform the relevant
chairpersons and the Codex Secretariat of the names of
participants from their own countries;
• Maintain a library of Codex final texts; and
• Promote Codex activities throughout their own countries.

22. Codex Legal Tools
Codex Standards
Codes of Practices
Guidelines and Recommendations
presentation title

23. Codex Standards
Food requirements intended to provide consumers with a sound,
wholesome food product free from adulteration, correctly labeled and
presented.
International acceptance most important consideration next to safety.
Prescribed format used to develop each standard. Must
include:
Name, scope, description, essential composition and quality
factors, food additives, contaminants, hygiene, weights and
measures, labeling and methods of analysis and sampling.

24. Codes of Practice
 Advisory text issued to all members.
Designed to assist members in achieving purposes of Codex.
Individual members decide how to use code
Typically describe “hygiene” requirements – “Adequate” /
“Acceptable”.
 Considered “checklist” of requirements for enforcement authorities
(Jurisdictional Prerequisites).

25. Guidelines and Recommendations
 Basic tool used to help member nations in elaboration of
their standards to conform to Codex.
 Not binding but accepted worldwide.
 Very useful for developing countries.
 Example: “Code of Ethics for International Trade in Food”. •
Commission can make guidelines “quasi-binding” – i.e. SPS
Agreement guidelines.

26. Food Additives under the
Codex
“Food additive means any substance not normally consumed as a food by
itself and not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food, whether
or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for
a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture,
processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or
holding of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result,
(directly or indirectly) in it or its by-products becoming a component of
or otherwise affecting the characteristics of such foods.
The term does not include contaminants, or substances added to food for
maintaining or improving nutritional qualities, or sodium chloride;

27. Food Labeling Under the
Codex
 Label includes any tag, brand,
mark, pictorial or other descriptive
matter, written, painted, stencilled,
marked, embossed or impressed
on, or attached to, a container
Labelling includes the label and any
written, printed or graphic matter
relating to and accompanying the
food additives.
The term does not include bills,
invoices and similar material which
may accompany the food additives.
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28. Food Labeling Requirements under Codex Alimentarius
Name of the food
List of ingredients (in descending
order)
Net content and drained weight
Name and address of
manufacturer
Country of origin
Lot identification
Date marking and storage
instructions
Instructions for use

29. CAC45
CAC met both physically and virtually on 21 – 25
November 2022 to adopt food safety and quality
standards.
The Commission report was adopted on 12 - 13
December 2022 virtually.
• 500 new Codex texts were (489 were numerical
standards, establishing maximum residue limits for
pesticides and maximum levels for contaminants).
• 8 new works were approved
• 5 revised standards adopted .

30. Some Highlights of CAC45
• The Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (CXS 210-1999) has been revised to incorporate new acceptable
limits of oleic and linoleic acids in sunflower seed oils.
• Guidelines were developed for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF)
• Guidelines for the Management of Biological Foodborne Outbreaks were developed
• Revision to the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969)
• Maximum Levels for Aflatoxins in Certain Cereals and Cereal-Based Products including Foods for Infants
and Young Children were determined.
• Guidelines for Compounds of Low Public Health Concern that May Be Exempted from the
Establishment of Codex MRLs
• Standard for Chilli Peppers and Paprika
• Guidelines for developing harmonized food safety legislation for the Africa region

31. Current Events
• In 2022 the Codex Secretariat began work on reviewing the
formatting and layout of Codex texts to ensure consistency, to
meet FAO and international publishing standards and to
enhance readability.
• A digital object identifier has also been added to standards as
they are published, providing a unique reference that can
support tracking and citation of each text.
• The project is part of the Codex Secretariat’s contribution to
the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission.

32. • For the Codex Secretariat the aim
of Codex@60 is to mark the achievements
of 60 years of standard setting with an event
at CAC46 whilst at the same time relaunching
the Codex website and transforming the "food
code" of standards, guidelines and codes of
practice and the Procedural Manual with a new
format and layout and a digital object identifier
to track downloads and citations
Codex@60

33. • The Code of Practice for the
Prevention and Reduction of
Lead Contamination in Foods
(CXC 56-2004) was the first text
to undergo this process and on
Wednesday 20 April 2023,
during the current session of
the Codex Committee in
Contaminants in Foods, taking
place in Utrecht, the text was
presented to the team that led
the work; the United States of
America, Japan and the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland.

34. Revision of CODEX Standards
The Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodies are
committed to revision as necessary of Codex standards and
related texts to ensure that they are consistent with and reflect
current scientific knowledge and other relevant information.
When required, a standard or related text shall be revised or
removed in accordance with the Procedures for the Elaboration of
Codex Standards and Related Texts.
Each member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is
responsible for identifying, and presenting to the appropriate
committee, any new scientific and other relevant information
which may warrant revision of any existing Codex standards or
related texts.

35. References
• fao.org
• fssai.gov.in

36. THANK YOU