Decisions from Day 2 of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

Jun 29, 2016, 08:09 AM by System

Maximum limits for pesticide residues in food
AGREED - 28 June 2016

Pesticides are chemicals used to kill insects, weeds and other pests to prevent them from damaging crops. Even when used in accordance with best practices, low levels of residues of pesticides can end up in food. To ensure that such residues do not cause harm to people's health and based on risk assessments provided by a group of independent international experts (the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Pesticide Residues, JMPR), the Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted maximum residue limits for more than 30 different pesticides in various foods.

Related links:
• Relevant Codex document (para 113 & Appendix II)
• Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)
• WHO Q&A on pesticide residues in food


Future revision of Codex's General Principles of Food Hygiene
AGREED - 28 June 2016

The General Principles of Food Hygiene (GPFH) and its Annex: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and Guidelines for its Application provide food business operators worldwide with the basis for producing food that is safe and suitable for consumption. Since its inception in the early 1970s, HACCP has become the universal system for the control of food safety, on which most regulatory food control systems and international food safety standards (e.g. ISO 22000) are based. HACCP or similar approaches to identifying hazards and establishing controls to prevent them have also been used in guidance on the safety of animal feed and drinking water. While the current GPFH remain largely pertinent, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has agreed to initiate an overhaul of the existing text, including its annex on HACCP, to extend the scope of the GPFH, make them more user-friendly and incorporate the latest developments in food safety management.

Related links:
• Relevant Codex document (Para 45c & Appendix V)

At the heart of the Codex mandate are the core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, consensus building and transparency. Governmental and non-governmental, public and private organizations alike play a vital role in ensuring Codex texts are of the highest quality and based on sound science.

Codex would have little authority in the field of international standard setting if it did not welcome and acknowledge the valuable contributions made by observers. Expert technical bodies, industry and consumer associations contribute to the standard-setting process in a spirit of openness, collaboration and transparency.

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can apply for observer status in Codex in order to attend and put forward their views at every stage of the standard-setting process.

Current Codex Alimentarius Commission

240
Codex Observers
60
IGOs
164
NGOs
16
UN

Decisions from Day 2 of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

Jun 29, 2016, 08:09 AM by System

Maximum limits for pesticide residues in food
AGREED - 28 June 2016

Pesticides are chemicals used to kill insects, weeds and other pests to prevent them from damaging crops. Even when used in accordance with best practices, low levels of residues of pesticides can end up in food. To ensure that such residues do not cause harm to people's health and based on risk assessments provided by a group of independent international experts (the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Pesticide Residues, JMPR), the Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted maximum residue limits for more than 30 different pesticides in various foods.

Related links:
• Relevant Codex document (para 113 & Appendix II)
• Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)
• WHO Q&A on pesticide residues in food


Future revision of Codex's General Principles of Food Hygiene
AGREED - 28 June 2016

The General Principles of Food Hygiene (GPFH) and its Annex: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and Guidelines for its Application provide food business operators worldwide with the basis for producing food that is safe and suitable for consumption. Since its inception in the early 1970s, HACCP has become the universal system for the control of food safety, on which most regulatory food control systems and international food safety standards (e.g. ISO 22000) are based. HACCP or similar approaches to identifying hazards and establishing controls to prevent them have also been used in guidance on the safety of animal feed and drinking water. While the current GPFH remain largely pertinent, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has agreed to initiate an overhaul of the existing text, including its annex on HACCP, to extend the scope of the GPFH, make them more user-friendly and incorporate the latest developments in food safety management.

Related links:
• Relevant Codex document (Para 45c & Appendix V)

Codex and Observer

Food is a sensitive commodity, which has travelled
around the world since ancient times.
We might not always know where it comes from,
but we expect it to be available, safe and of good quality.