Director-General
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
People everywhere have the basic right of access to food which is of good quality, safe and nutritious. Codex Alimentarius helps to reach this goal by combining consumer protection with food production and trade; globally, regionally and at the national and local level. Codex food standards, codes of practice and other guidelines protect consumers from unsafe food and fraudulent practices. At the same time they allow food producers, processors and traders access to markets by breaking down artificial non-tariff barriers to trade. Codex Alimentarius brings together all the interested parties - scientists, technical experts, governments, consumers and industry representatives to help develop standards for food manufacturing and trade. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a unique, science-based, international organization. Its standards, guidelines and recommendations are recognized world-wide for their vital role in protecting the consumer and facilitating international trade.
Director-General
World Health Organization
Because food-borne illnesses remain a worldwide public health problem, Codex Alimentarius is important to all humanity. No food is a nutritious food if it is not safe. By following the standards laid down by Codex Alimentarius, countries and individual businesses can help ensure that foods are safe and nutritious. Good practices start with hygiene. The World Health Organization's involvement in the work of Codex provides reassurance to anyone anywhere that foods produced according to its codes of hygienic practice and complying with its standards are safe and nutritious and offer adequate health protection. Stricter standards do not necessarily offer better health protection but may be used as non-tariff barriers to trade. The world will ever need more food, and international trade will need to flourish to meet this demand. All the more reason for Codex Alimentarius.
