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The term "Codex Alimentarius" is Latin and means "food code”. Codex standards are international food texts, i.e. standards, codes of practice, codes of hygienic practice, guidelines and other recommendations, established to protect the health of the consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade. The collection of food standards and related texts adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission is known as the Codex Alimentarius.

Codex standards are used by its Members to protect the health of the consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade. Reference to the Codex Alimentarius occurs in many bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements. Several trade agreements have recently been negotiated or are being negotiated including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) among twelve Pacific Rim countries; the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and Europe, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union and the United States. These agreements typically contain provisions related to SPS measures and invariably reference the standards adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Codex standards are adopted in most cases by consensus among Members and are based on the best scientific and technical knowledge. International organizations with official Observer Status in Codex may also make interventions, submit written comments …, during Codex meetings and on draft standards, but only Members (i.e. Countries) make decisions.

Codex texts are voluntary and do not have binding effect on national food legislation. However, WTO Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) encouraged WTO members to harmonise national regulations with the international standards. Since the SPS Agreement specifically identifies Codex standards, guidelines and recommendations as the international benchmark for food safety, national regulations consistent with Codex standards are deemed to meet the requirement of the SPS Agreement. Under the SPS Agreement, WTO Members are allowed to implement national standards that are more stringent than those of Codex. In doing so, however, WTO Members may be requested to provide scientific justification that such stringent sanitary measures are required to achieve their appropriate level of protection, as well as demonstrate that the measure taken is based on an assessment of risk. Codex standards, guidelines and other recommendations may also be used as a reference in case of a food trade dispute.

Use our List of Standards or browse by Codex Committee.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (commonly referred to as Commission) is the body established by FAO and WHO to develop food standards under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is based in FAO in Rome. It coordinates input from 187 Member Countries and one Member Organization to develop and endorse the international food standards that comprise the Codex Alimentarius.

The Membership of the Commission is composed of those Members and Associate Members of FAO and WHO that have expressed a desire to be considered as Members of the Commission. The expression "Members" means nations (or countries) and in the case of FAO also regional economic integration organizations such as the European Union. International organizations with official Observer Status in Codex may also participate in Codex meetings as well as in working groups established.

Since its beginnings in 1963, the Codex system has evolved in an open, transparent and inclusive way to meet emerging challenges. The Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodies are committed to elaborate as necessary of Codex standards and related texts to ensure that they are consistent with and reflect current scientific knowledge and other relevant information. Each member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is responsible for identifying, and presenting to the appropriate committee, any new scientific and other relevant information which may warrant revision of any existing Codex standards or related texts.

Meetings of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies are general held in public and open to delegations representing member countries and organizations with official observer status, with the exception of the meetings of the Executive Committee. Interested attendees are requested to email the Secretariat at least one month before the session.

There is a lot at stake for protecting consumers' health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade. All information on Codex is public and free. For general inquiries about Codex that cannot be handled by your national Codex Contact Point, please contact the Codex Secretariat.

Antimicrobial resistance is resistance of a microorganism to an antimicrobial drug that was originally effective for treatment of infections caused by it. The evolution of resistant strains is a natural phenomenon that occurs when microorganisms replicate themselves erroneously or when resistant traits are exchanged between them. The use and misuse of antimicrobial drugs accelerates the emergence of drug-resistant strains. The emerging issues related to antimicrobial resistance has been the subject of several consultation. Codex texts provide guidance to Country to contain and minimize AMR, however much remains to be done to assist States while a Task Force on AMR has been established by the 39th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Glyphosate is the world’s most used herbicide and a common weed killer in agriculture and home gardening. In March 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) working group of experts classified Glyphosate in Group 2A (probable human carcinogens) with strong evidence for a genotoxic mechanism of carcinogenicity. The Joint WHO/FAO Expert Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), which is responsible for assessing the risk of pesticide residues in Food in Codex, originally evaluated Glyphosate in 2004. JMPR did not find evidence for carcinogenicity in humans and assigned an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). On that basis, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has established Maximum Residue Limits for Glyphosate in a large number of food crops (2006-2014).

Codex is strongly committed to promote safe foods. Amongst safe foods, Codex does not give any preference to certain kinds of foods over others. Such choice belongs to consumers. Codex has adopted principles and guidelines to assess food safety of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants, animals and microorganisms. If a government chooses to build a regulatory mechanism to address the food safety of so-called GM foods, then they can use Codex text as a basis for it. This being said, each government is free to adopt its own policy as to the use of GM organisms in the agriculture and other sectors. At the moment, there are no internationally-agreed recommendations on the food labelling of GM foods. Governments are therefore applying their own regulations.

Codex has developed standards and a code of practice to effectively apply the irradiation technology to improve food safety, together with guidance on the labelling of irradiated foods. However, it is left to governments to determine their own approach to the use of food irradiation.

Contaminants in food concern consumers and producers in the food safety chain. The Commission has established a Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) that has elaborated 20 standards on contaminants in food. CCCF was established to adopt or endorse permitted maximum levels or guidelines levels for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to prepare priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; to consider methods of analysis and sampling for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed; to consider and elaborate standards or codes of practice for related subjects and to consider other matters assigned to it by the Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed.

Codex Committees, when developing standards, apply risk analysis and rely on the independent scientific advice provided by expert bodies organized by FAO/WHO. These bodies also give direct advice to Member Governments.

Risk analysis is fundamental to the scientific basis of Codex food safety standards. It also provides information on how countries can request, access and contribute data to this process. It is due to its scientific basis that Codex texts are considered by WTO as the international reference for food safety standards.

The scientific advice is the product of a group of experts selected to work in their personal capacity and not as representatives of their country, or of the institution by which they may be employed. Selection of experts includes consideration of criteria such as scientific credibility, relevant experience, and technical skills.

The scientific basis for Codex work is provided by FAO and WHO. Scientific advice is provided by FAO/WHO expert committees and ad hoc expert consultations.

The above expert bodies meet regularly to provide expert advice which is used by relevant Codex subsidiary bodies in elaborating standards on food additives, contaminants and toxins, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, and microbiological hazards in food. For emerging issues such as biotechnology, antimicrobial resistance in foodborne micro-organisms, FAO and WHO have convened ad hoc expert consultations.

The two WTO agreements of most significance for international food trade and Codex are:

The WTO's SPS Agreement states that “to harmonize sanitary and phytosanitary measures on as wide a basis as possible, Members shall base their sanitary or phytosanitary measures on international standards, guidelines or recommendations”. The Agreement names the joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius as the relevant standard-setting organization for food safety with specific reference to standards, guidelines and recommendations established by the Commission.

Codex, as an inter-governmental organization, prepares documents to assist governments in their statutory and regulatory work to protect their citizens from health hazards caused by food consumption. Compliance with applicable Codex standards is recommended. ISO, as a non-governmental organization, develops standards that are driven by marketplace needs. As a result, ISO standards describe products, services, process, materials and systems, and conformity assessment. Compliance with ISO standards is mandatory to the extent of fulfilment of certification requirements and is beyond meeting the legal requirements.

Codex and ISO activities are complementary. Codex, as a governmental organization, prepares documents to assist governments in their statutory and regulatory work to protect their citizens from health hazards caused by food consumption. ISO prepares standards in particular on test methods to assist stakeholders along the whole food chain to fulfil both the statutory and regulatory requirements, as well as the requirements of consumers of these products.

Members use Codex standards to ensure safe, good quality food to their citizens. By introducing legislation and regulation that is consistent with Codex standards and guidelines governments may reduce the risk of being brought before a WTO Disputes Panel. A Government can adopt its own level of protection, e.g. go beyond or stop short of Codex. If a government chooses a higher level of protection, and in the event of a trade dispute, it may be required to justify the sanitary measure corresponding to its chosen level of protection on scientific, health, or other legitimate grounds. In many countries, most food legislation is already consistent with Codex.

International organizations – either IGOs or INGOs - with official Observer Status in Codex may participate in Codex meetings as well as in working groups established. Observers may make interventions, submit written comments…, but only Members (i.e. countries) take decisions.

To find out more about standards already adopted or to download a copy of an existing standard, consult the Official List of Standards at the Codex Alimentarius Commission website.

Codex is financed by all member governments of FAO and WHO. Their contribution is either channeled through their assessed contribution to FAO and to WHO, or through in-kind contribution by hosting a Codex meeting.

FAO and WHO provide expert scientific advice on many aspects of food quality, safety and nutrition relevant to the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. While not officially part of the Codex Alimentarius Commission structure, the FAO/WHO Expert Consultations provide independent scientific expert advice to the Commission and its specialist Committees and Task Forces.

A wide range of international Non-governmental Organizations, representing consumers, universities and scientists, industry …, can take part in Codex work and voice their views. Over 160 international Non-governmental Organizations representing consumers or industry can participate as observers, together with over 60 United Nations organizations and other Intergovernmental organizations. They contribute expert views and technical knowledge in their specialized fields. However, final decisions are taken by members' delegations. Delegations are nominated by higher authorities of governments. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body operating within the United Nations.

Member States and International Organizations engage in Codex food safety standard making activities through different channels and in different manners in order to achieve their respective interests. As one of the main pillars of the commission, transparency plays a key role in the preparation of all Codex standards. Codex recognizes that transparency of decision-making processes is a crucial element in promoting the accountability of decision-makers, in securing the soundness of scientific advice and in informing stakeholders – even those not participating to Codex sessions – on ongoing activities. Codex ensures transparency of the decision-making processes also by publishing audios of the Executive Committee and the Commission, and making documents, CRDs and reports available on the website.

Proposals for new work usually originate at the Committee level, and are transmitted to the Commission by means of a project document, which is first examined by the Executive Committee, through the Critical Review. All new work undertaken by a Codex Committee must be approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The normal elaboration process follows eight distinct steps, involving two rounds of comments by members and observers. A decision may be taken at step 5 to omit the second round of comments (steps 6 and 7). It can be decided at the beginning to follow the accelerated 5-Step Procedure with only one round of comments. The Commission may also decide that standards be elaborated through an accelerated 5-Step Procedure with only one round of comments. However, while taking this decision, all appropriate matters shall be taken into consideration, including the likelihood of new scientific information becoming available in the immediate future.

Before a decision is made to undertake the development of a new standard or other text, a project proposal is prepared and discussed at Committee level. The procedure to approve a new standard undertakes several steps, which end at Step 8. At this step, the draft standard is submitted through the Secretariat to the Executive Committee for critical review and to the Commission, together with any written proposals received from Members and interested international organizations for amendments at Step 8, with a view to its adoption as a Codex standard. In taking any decision at this step, the Commission will give due consideration to the outcome of the critical review and to any comments that may be submitted by any of its Members regarding the implications which the draft standard or any provisions thereof may have for their economic interests. In the case of Regional standards, all Members and interested international organizations may present their comments, take part in the debate and propose amendments but only the majority of Members of the region or group of countries concerned attending the session can decide to amend and adopt the draft.

Where Codex subsidiary bodies have been abolished or dissolved, or Codex committees have been adjourned sine die, the Secretariat keeps under review all Codex standards and related texts elaborated by these bodies and determines the need for any amendments, in particular those arising from decisions of the Commission.

The Codex Alimentarius has addressed several food safety related challenges over these years and the membership has also found solutions on a timely basis to meet these challenges. Codex stepped in to reduce barriers, to put science in the service of consumer protection and to place a safety net around the world's food supply. The Commission and its subsidiaries bodies make every effort to reach agreement on adoption or amendments of standards by consensus. However, sometimes consensus takes time to be reached and where there is opposition to an issue under discussion, the chairperson should ensure that the views of concerned members be taken into consideration by striving to reconcile conflicting arguments. To facilitate this path, CAC26 adopted a series of Measure to facilitate consensus, available in the Appendix of the Procedural Manual.

The OCS, or Online Commenting System, is an online tool that Codex members and observers can use to insert, share, and submit their comments in a safe and secure online environment. The OCS enables to compile comments with the click of a button and provide data for analysis in a more efficient manner.

The OCS can be used by the member states of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, as well as by observers – IGOs, NGOs and Observers – that participate in the Codex Commission.

The OCS ensures confidentiality and safe submission of comments by the official Codex contact points. It implements a common commenting format and it facilitates inclusivity in the Codex standard setting process being an efficient, user-friendly and accurate system. Finally, it accelerates and simplifies the compilation process while significantly reducing human error.

In order to log in, users must possess a Username and Password that have been assigned by Codex Secretariat. To apply for Username and Password, please contact the Codex Secretariat at [email protected]. Once the Username and Password are received via email, visit ocs.codexalimentarius.org and insert your log in information. In order to prevent OCS emails from entering junk or spam folder, please add the OCS email address into your email address book.

The classification of comments and their definitions are below:

General comments can also be sent to comment on the draft document overall.

You can go to the OCS at https://ocs.codexalimentarius.org/ and select “Contact Us: here” at the bottom of the page, or send an email to [email protected]. More information about the Codex OCS is also available on the Codex website resource page at http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/ocs/en/, where you can access the OCS User Manual and other training material.