The Codex Secretariat has launched the 2025 Members' survey on the “Use and impact of Codex texts” and, concurrently, released the report of the 2024 survey findings. This marks the fourth cycle of the survey, which helps Codex gain a deeper understanding of how its Members apply standards, guidelines, and codes of practice. This information is crucial for ensuring the protection of consumer health and facilitating fair practices in the global food trade.

This year’s edition introduces two updates: regional standards are included for the first time, responding to Members’ requests to capture a fuller picture of how Codex texts are used. In addition, the original three-year survey plan has been extended to a fourth year to accommodate the regional scope and to survey a broader set of texts. “The inclusion of regional standards shows the adaptability of the survey to the needs of Members,” said Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary. “The survey can be used to explore different aspects of how Codex texts are implemented and where further support is needed.”

To facilitate a comprehensive response, national Codex committees are encouraged to convene and complete the survey jointly, providing only one combined response per Member. The survey is short and concise, involving 20 questions administered via SurveyMonkey. A unique link was sent by email directly to each Codex Contact Point, and Members have four weeks to submit their feedback.

Alongside the 2025 launch, the Codex Secretariat has published the 2024 survey report, marking the third consecutive year of collecting evidence from Members on the use and impact of Codex texts. The findings reaffirm Members’ commitment to ensuring Codex standards remain relevant, authoritative and impactful. Farid El Haffar, Technical Officer, noted: “The findings of the 2024 survey reaffirm the central role of Codex texts in shaping national food safety systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. They also highlight the continued need for timely development, effective dissemination and broader stakeholder engagement to maximize the utility of Codex standards.”

The survey mechanism directly supports the Codex Strategic Plan 2026–2031, approved by CAC47, especially Strategic Goal 4: Maximize the impact of Codex by increasing the visibility and use of standards. Several indicators in the monitoring framework are measured through this survey. Allan Azegele, Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, emphasized: “As we look ahead to the implementation of the Codex Strategic Plan 2026–2031, the insights from this report will be instrumental in guiding our priorities and ensuring that Codex continues to deliver value to all its Members.”

2024 findings include:

• Codex texts are widely regarded as useful and relevant: Over 80 percent of respondents from both low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) report that Codex texts mostly or completely meet their priority food safety and quality needs. LMICs in particular continue to rely on Codex texts as key reference materials in regulatory development, institutional capacity building and education.
• Levels of satisfaction remain consistently high: Similar to 2022 and 2023, satisfaction with the format and structure of Codex texts remains strong. However, HICs are more neutral with dissemination methods. Qualitative responses suggest a desire for improved dissemination efforts for a wider reach of Codex texts.
• Authoritative and credible, but timeliness remains a noted concern: While Codex texts are consistently recognized as authoritative and credible, HIC respondents continue to express less satisfaction with the timeliness of Codex text development.
• Codex texts are perceived as supporting trade and regulatory harmonization: Most Members, particularly LMICs, report that Codex texts “mostly” or “completely” support domestic food trade standards and international market access. However, HIC respondents expressed uncertainty regarding Codex’s role in dispute resolution and regional trade harmonization, suggesting a need for additional research on this aspect.
• Use of Codex texts varies by income level: LMICs report higher levels of use across all categories: informing legislation and policies, supporting national food control systems (NFCS), raising stakeholder awareness, developing training tools and enhancing trade. HICs continue to use Codex texts more selectively, often as secondary references rather than primary sources.
• Clear patterns across regions and income groups: Trends in reported barriers to the uptake of Codex texts are identifying increasingly clear patterns with similar results in 2023 and 2024. The most cited barriers are the lack of local implementation capacity, followed by resource constraints and the duration of Codex text development. These challenges are more acute in LMICs, where reliance on Codex texts is also highest.

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Survey on the Use and Impact of Codex Texts
Use and impact of Codex texts: Report of the Codex survey 2024