Codex: An approach to food safety

Abstract

The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international food standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and recommendations developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to protect the consumers' health and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The CAC was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1963. The main purpose of codex is;a) to promote consumer protection, b)to facilitate world trade through development of food standards. Codes of practice and guidelines, c) to ensure fair trade practices of food d) to co-ordinate all food standards works. The paper gives a brief description of the role and work of the CAC and the efforts deployed by the Commission to respond to the challenges posed by new approaches to government regulation, harmonization of national requirements based on international standards and the role of civil society.