Dr Parthiban Muthukumarasamy, Director-General at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, has been Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) since 2024. He has represented Canada at both the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) and the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) and so has been involved firsthand in Codex work and has direct knowledge of the importance of international standards and guidance. We caught up with him to hear more about his preparations for CCFL, which will take place 11–15 May 2026 in Ottawa, Canada.

Parthi, welcome back as Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling. As you prepare to open the meeting in Ottawa, how has your experience from the previous meeting shaped your approach to navigating the diverse positions of delegations while achieving the goals of Codex?

First of all, for those who I have not had the opportunity to meet, my name is Parthi Muthukumarasamy, and I am the Director-General of International Policy and Trade at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Let me say that I am honoured to once again be chairing CCFL and I hope to build upon the successful 48th session that was held in Quebec City in 2024.

The last CCFL meeting was extremely productive, with the completion of three large pieces of work: Guidelines on the provision of food information for pre-packaged foods to be offered via e-commerce (CXG 104-2024); Guidelines on the use of technology to provide food information in food labelling (CXG 105-2024); and updates to allergen provisions in the General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (CXS 1-1985). We also held good discussion on topics that will set us in a good position for this year’s meeting. As well, there has been an incredible amount of groundwork between sessions, and I’d like to acknowledge everything that goes into preparing for these meetings, including the leadership of the chairs and co-chairs of our working groups and the dedication and cooperation of Codex Members, Observers, and the Codex Secretariat. All your hard work is recognized and contributes to successful outcomes at CCFL.

I’m looking forward to building upon the engagement and camaraderie I experienced during my first session as chair of CCFL. Chairing CCFL has offered a unique perspective on the critical role the Chairperson plays in consensus building and compromise, two important aspects in the success of Codex. I look forward to welcoming and working with delegates in Ottawa at CCFL49 in May.

Going straight to the agenda, one of the most anticipated areas of work involves precautionary allergen labelling (PAL). With the committee moving toward the finalization of the guidelines, how do you see this new text impacting the daily lives of consumers?

This is an important piece of work and I’m happy that significant progress has been made on the allergen labelling work at CCFL. The provisions on PAL, that were advanced to Step 5 at the last CCFL, are part of a larger package on allergens work, that includes updates to allergen labelling provisions in CXS 1-1985 that were adopted at Step 8 at the last Commission.

Much of this work was based on expert scientific advice provided by the joint FAO and WHO independent scientific advice bodies. The goal is to create science and risk-based guidance so that consumers have increased trust and confidence when making purchasing decisions. These Codex texts directly impact consumers, and in particular in countries that rely on Codex standards for their domestic situation, by protecting highly sensitive individuals from unintentional presence of allergens.

I can’t miss this opportunity to remind delegates of the physical working group meeting (PWG) on the use of precautionary allergen labelling to be held on Sunday 10 May at Rogers Centre Ottawa, ahead of CCFL49.

There is ongoing discussion regarding 'Country of Origin' and 'Country of Harvest,' particularly for spices and culinary herbs. How are you preparing to facilitate this discussion?

The discussions on origin labelling have been ongoing in various Codex committee meetings for several years and consensus has been hard to reach.

I have read the EWG report, that is posted on the CCFL49 webpage, and I think it shows the value and importance of digging deeper into the issue, to flesh out the various perspectives, and bring to light the root issues. A circular letter has been issued, and I hope to see many responses that will help with good discussion on this issue.

My role as chairperson is to help facilitate the discussion on this important topic, listen to the views, find areas of common ground, and guide the Committee towards potential options on a suitable path forward. I encourage delegates to review the history of these discussions as documented in the previous CCFL reports posted on the Codex website and come to the plenary session with a willingness to collaborate, look for areas of common ground, and a focus on achieving consensus.

The food supply chain has faced significant stressors recently, leading to ongoing work in the Committee on guidelines on the application of food labelling in emergencies. How does CCFL strike the right balance between the necessary flexibility required to keep food moving during, for example, a crisis, and the necessary requirement to maintain the integrity of consumer information?

The work of Codex often requires finding this balance – and Members seem to welcome that challenge. For the work on food labelling provisions in emergencies, food safety is prioritized in all circumstances, and in fact that is part of the driver of the work, how to keep safety of utmost importance during emergency situations.

We have a lot of international knowledge and expertise in the meeting room at CCFL to draw from, and we all have recent experience with food supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. I plan to look to the Codex membership for signals on whether we’re striking the right balance of a high-level guidance that is both flexible and useful, and can be applied in emergency situations.

I encourage delegates to attend the virtual working group meeting on food labelling provisions in emergencies scheduled for 5 May 2026.

Looking toward the horizon, what is next for CCFL? Are there emerging areas where you believe international harmonization will be required next?

Well, for exactly this reason, CCFL maintains an inventory of potential future work and emerging issues. We’ve had a very heavy schedule for the past few sessions, and we hopefully have an opportunity now to discuss some new items. This will depend on how items progress this session at CCFL, and whether we can complete some work on multipack and joint presentation labelling provisions, as well as some of the items I have just mentioned above.

For new work proposals, so far we have two: on the labelling of alcoholic beverages; and a definition of small packages including their labelling exemptions in Codex texts. I encourage Members to review the current inventory and bring forward new work proposals, in the form of a discussion paper and project document.

One final question. Codex is a collaborative effort between different delegations, be they Members and/or Observers. As we look toward the opening gavel, why is it so critical for delegates to look ahead and arrive in Ottawa fully prepared? What is your final message to stakeholders on how they can best contribute to a productive and consensus-driven session?

It makes a big difference when all participants come to a Codex meeting well-prepared. This includes reviewing all the documents and comments on the CCFL49 webpage, consulting on these documents with experts at home, preparing focused interventions, and offering suggestions and proposals for constructive ways forward.

I encourage delegates to send written comments in advance, even if it means tabling a conference room document (CRD), and I encourage delegates to read comments and suggestions submitted by other Members and Observers. I also encourage active participation in the working group meetings on food labelling provisions in emergencies and the use of precautionary allergen labelling before the session, which will be incredibly helpful.

I believe that representing your country or organization at a Codex meeting is a great privilege and honour. I hope everyone takes the opportunity to meet and talk to other delegates at breaks and during lunch. Codex meetings are a wonderful chance to learn from each other and collaborate. I look forward to welcoming you all to Ottawa for CCFL49!

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CCFL49 webpage