The Codex Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, hosted at FAO headquarters in Rome, provides coordination and liaison across the entire spectrum of Codex activities. Under the overall guidance of the Codex Secretary, a senior official appointed jointly by the Directors-General of FAO and WHO, the Secretariat comprises a small team of professional and technical officers and support staff.

Codex Food Standards Officers 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 current Secretariat is made up of:

• 7 Food Standards Officers
• 3 Seconded Food Standards Officers from Republic of Korea and Singapore
• 1 Junior Professional Officer from Japan
• 9 Support staff and Consultants for IT, Web & Communications, Document Management and Editing

The Codex Secretariat is also responsible for managing the coordination of work between committees, continuously monitors work planning for active and adjourned committees alike and ensures that Codex texts remain relevant and consistent with current scientific knowledge. Meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and Executive Committee are administered and serviced entirely by the Rome-based staff.