Survey on the Use and Impact of Codex Texts

The Codex Secretariat conducts a yearly survey for all Codex Members to measure the use and impact of Codex texts. Mandated to monitor this topic through the Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025, in 2021 the Secretariat, in collaboration with FAO and WHO evaluation offices, began work on developing a mechanism to explore issues such as accessibility, relevance and credibility concerning Codex standards.

This survey, therefore, is one of the solutions to help Members and Observers better understand the impact, or potential for impact, of Codex texts.

Members are asked to respond to a series of questions on up to four standards adopted or revised by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in the period 2015-2020.

Codex Survey 2024 launch

News

Save the date / 20 September 2022, Codex to launch new survey on use and impact of Codex standards

An online event hosted by the Codex Secretariat at 12:00 CEST on Tuesday 20 September 2022 will see the launch of a new Codex survey to measure the use and impact of Codex standards. This survey, developed with the evaluation units of FAO and WHO will seek valuable input from countries on the reach, usefulness, and how a sample of Codex texts are used. The data will contribute to monitoring under the Codex Strategic Plan 2022-2025. The event will bring together [...]

15 September 2022

Codex Survey: We would like to hear from you!

The Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025 incorporated a new goal on recognition and use of Codex texts. Key to achieving this goal and monitoring progress is data on the use and impact of Codex texts. To collect such data the Codex Secretariat will launch a survey to all Members in September 2022. Previously, data on the use of Codex Standards has been collected by the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees. Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt recalls that “we have learned a lot from these efforts, [...]

04 August 2022

Success story / Codex standards help improve food safety in Thailand

The value of Thai food exports increased by nearly 25 percent in the three years to 2018 and some Thai food companies are reporting recent sales increases of between 20 and 30 percent. This is all because the Thai government has been vigorously promoting the Hygiene Analysis and Critical Control Points system (HACCP) in food establishments. HACCP involves identifying where food safety hazards can arise and adopting measures to mitigate them. A new success story published by Codex demonstrates the impact [...]

09 March 2022

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FAQ

1. What is the purpose of the survey?

The survey seeks to examine the reach and usefulness of Codex texts and use responses to calculate their impact.

2. Who should answer the survey?

Each Member Country in Codex should answer the survey; one response per country. Codex Contact Points should coordinate how each country responds through their normal channels which could include convening the National Codex Committee or team.

3. How long does it take to complete the survey?

The design of the survey has been streamlined and completion should take less than one hour.

4. Which standards are being surveyed in 2024?

Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance (CXC 61-2021)
Maximum Residue Limits and Risk Management Recommendations for Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods (CXM 2-2018)
Working Principles for Risk Analysis for Food Safety for Application by Governments (CXG 62-2007)
Principles and Guidelines for National Food Control Systems (CXG 82-2013)

5. How were these particular texts selected?

Codex texts adopted or revised by CAC from 2015 to 2020 that cover the range of Codex General Subject Committees or Task Forces.

6. Will the answers of a single country be published?

The survey data will be aggregated and analysis will be conducted at the global and regional levels to determine trends. No individual country responses will be shared.

7. Can I change my responses?

Yes, you can just click back on the survey and change or delete your answers. While the survey remains open, you can change any of your answers. Once the survey is submitted, you will no longer be able to change your responses.

8. What if I don’t have a full answer yet, can I save the survey and then go back?

No, there is currently no “save” option. But while compiling the survey, until it is submitted, you can go back and change a previous answer.

9. Can I obtain a pdf copy of the survey to circulate to my committee?

You can request a pdf copy of the survey in any of the 6 UN languages by writing to [email protected].

10. Why does question 6 offer the choice of answering on one or more Codex texts?

A country may not have data to share on all the standards listed but we hope they will answer on all those where that information is available.

11. What is the purpose of the detailed secondary questions on the texts?

The survey seeks to gather information on specific Codex texts where a country has data. This will complement the general questions found later in the survey.

12. When and how will the data be presented?

The preliminary results are presented at the subsequent Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), while the full report is usually available at the beginning of the next survey year.

13. How do you expect the data collected to be useful?

This is the first step in building a mechanism to monitor the use and impact of Codex Texts. Through this pilot survey, Codex will understand how to improve the process and the investment required.

14. What is the deadline for responses in 2024?

To ensure that preliminary results can be presented at CAC47, countries are urged to complete the survey by 25 October 2024.

15. Can a country provide additional information when responding to the survey?

There are numerous text boxes provided in the survey that a country can use to provide further context to your answers including the last survey question, where a country can provide concrete suggestions to improve the reach, usefulness, or use of Codex texts. Additional, written responses can be sent to [email protected] for inclusion in the survey analysis.