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Codex Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean |
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Codex Projects: |
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Projects on Quality Assurance in laboratories: |
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Population worldwide has the fundamental right to access good quality, safe and nutritive food. The Codex Alimentarius helps to achieve this objective taking care of consumer and production protection and food trade at global level. At the same time, on eliminating non-tariff barriers to trade, gives access to markets to those engaged in production, elaboration and food marketing. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has a unique character as a scientifically-based international organization. The fundamental role of its standards, guidelines and recommendations to protect consumer and facilitate international trade have worldwide acknowledgement. Background Worldwide recognition of the importance of international food trade and the need to facilitate it, guaranteeing consumer the quality and safety of food, led to the creation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standard Program in 1962. The first meeting of the Coxed Alimentarius Commission was held in Rome, Italy in October 1963, since then the Commission has held 28 Sessions, the last one in Rome, Italy, from 4 to 9 July 2005. Definition Codex Alimentarius is a Latin expression meaning "food code" or "food law. Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international food standards that have been adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and published in 14 volumes which constitute the total collection of Standards and texts related to Codex. Objectives
Structure
The Codex Alimentarius Commission The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental agency in charge of the execution of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program, approving standards, codes, guidelines and other recommended measures prepared by its Subsidiary Bodies. The Commission meets every two years alternating between Rome, Italy and Geneva, Switzerland, maintaining in the meantime its functions through the Executive Committee. The Members of the Commission are Member States or Associated Members of FAO and/or WHO which have informed the corresponding Director-Generals of their interest to participate in the Program. Other interested parties: international scientific associations, food industry and trade, consumers, and so on, may not be members of the Commission. Nonetheless, if they happen to be members of FAO and/or WHO or any United Nations agency, they may participate as observers in the Sessions of the Commission and its Subsidiary Bodies. At present the Commission has 171 Member Countries from which 30 correspond to Latin America and the Caribbean The Executive Committee The Executive Committee, in between periods of Sessions of the Commission, acts in its name as an executive body, implementing policies and programs of the Commission. The Committee meets once in between Sessions of the Commission and immediately before the Session of the Commission being the only Committee within the Codex Alimentarius whose Sessions are not open to all Member Countries. The Executive Committee is composed of a Chairman and 3 Vice-Chairmen, 6 Members elected to represent each Codex Region and 5 Regional Coordinators which in turn are Chairmen to the corresponding Regional Codex Coordinating Committee. As members of the Executive Committee are elected on a geographic base, no two members may belong to the same country. The Codex Secretariat The Secretariat of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program is located at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Secretariat is in charge of coordinating all the work of the Codex Committees, being the link between the Codex Committees and the Contact Points of Codex in member countries of the Commission. Codex Subsidiary Bodies
The Commission counts with 24 Subsidiary Bodies which are the Committees and Task Forces of Codex that prepare the standards, codes and guidelines in regard to a food product or specific area. The Codex Committees and the Commission have an intergovernmental character. Each Codex Committee is hosted by a Member State and the costs of its activities shall be borne by each Member accepting to be Chairman of one of these committees. The Horizontal or General Committees are in charge, in a generic form, of a specific issue affecting all foodstuff and all product committees. Its main tasks contemplate the revision and approval of arrangements related to food additives, contaminants, pesticide residues, veterinary drugs, inspection and certification systems, labelling, analysis and sampling and food hygiene and the development of recommendations in the field of food quality and safety based in the reports of the experts meetings such as JECFA and JMPR. The Vertical or Product Committees correspond to the committees in charge of the elaboration of standards, codes and guidelines related to specific foodstuff or group of foodstuff which will be later submitted to the Commission for its final adoption. The work of these committees is of a vertical character with the products or group of products pertaining to them, for example: the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products, the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, and so on. Codex Global Committees General Affaire Committees
Products Committees
AD HOC Intergovernmental Task Forces
Regional Coordinating Committees The Regional Committees handle issues of regional interest, are 6 in total, and correspond to the 6 geographical zones of Codex.
Some Figures About Codex
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Codex Alimentarius 
© 2005 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations