About Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC):
- It is the international food standards-setting body.
- It was established jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 1963.
- Objective: Protecting consumer’s health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.
- It has its headquarters in Rome.
- Membership:
- Membership of the Commission is open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of FAO and WHO which are interested in international food standards.
- Currently the CAC has 189 Codex Members made up of 188 Member Countries and 1 Member Organization (The European Union).
- India became a member of CAC in 1964.
- The CAC consists of the following main organizational elements:
- Commission;
- Executive Committee;
- Codex Secretariat;
- Codex subsidiary bodies.
- The Commission meets in regular session once a year, alternating between Geneva and Rome.
- Funding: The programme of work of the Commission is funded through the regular budgets of WHO and FAO, with all work subject to approval of the two governing bodies of the parent organisations.
What is Codex Alimentarius?
- The Codex Alimentarius, or “Food Code”, is a collection of international standards, guidelines, and codes of practice to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.
- Codex standards are used worldwide to harmonize national food safety regulations and are recognized in the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures as the international reference point for food safety.
- When food producers and traders comply with Codex standards, consumers can trust the safety and quality of the products they buy, and importers can have confidence that the food they ordered will meet the specifications.
- The standards are adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Codex Alimentarius and India:
- The National Codex Contact Point (NCCP) of India has been constituted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) 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.
