As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Codex Secretariat has been talking to experts involved in the work of committees to understand their motivation, their work and their views on the world of Codex in general.

At the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP), which took place in Bordeaux, France from 2 to 6 October 2023, we spoke with Dr Koji Miura, advisor to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, who has been involved with Codex and CCGP for over 20 years.

Do you remember the first time you heard about Codex?

After graduating from a medical school, I trained in clinical medicine and, at the same time, worked as a public health physician in charge of community health and welfare services. In doing so, I was able to gain experiences in the field of food safety administration. Nevertheless, I heard the word Codex for the first time when I was assigned as the Head responsible for Codex in the Ministry of Health in 2002. At that time, many government officials who had never been in charge of food safety administration were aware of Codex activities, and I realized that my awareness of Codex was lagging behind.

How did you get involved?

In Japan's central government, personnel transfers are often made every few years, and in such cases, new assignments are made. My appointment to be in charge of Codex also proceeded in this manner. However, while participating in various Codex committees, I learned several new things, including the importance of the Japanese government's active involvement in international activities and the need to promote human health-related administration, including food safety administration, from a scientific perspective. It must also be mentioned that the background for these learnings was the guidance by Dr Yukiko Yamada, who has been active at Codex for a long time.

Why does Codex matter?

As a representative of a nutrition-related society in Japan, I would like to emphasize that food is not only a source of nutrition but also something that can make people happy through it. We believe that this demonstrates the importance of Codex.

What has been your happiest moment?

As a contribution to international food safety through Codex, I strongly remember the decision to hold the second Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived From Modern Biotechnology CTFBT in Japan, following first CTFBT, which was held from 2000 to 2003 as the first Asian host country.

A source of nutrition and happiness

What, in your view, are particular milestones for CCGP?

I believe that it is important for both Members and the Codex Secretariat to be able to make appropriate decisions quickly based on sufficient discussions through less burdensome and more efficient means.

Your biggest challenge?

I am retired from full time government service and am now an advisor to the Ministry of Health, participating in CCGP and other Codex activities, and will continue to strive to stay healthy and contribute to society.

What needs to happen in the coming years to keep Codex relevant? 

I believe that it is important to publicize Codex's activities to as many people as possible so that more countries will join Codex's activities and the people of the world will be able to secure safe food on a common basis and with a common understanding. At the very least, I hope that people who work with food will remember the name “Codex”.

Learn more:

Latest and previous versions of the CAC Procedural Manual

CCGP 33 meeting page

Interview with Jean-Luc Angot, CCGP Chairperson