The role of standards in a changing world
If they are to be used, standards will have to keep up with what is happening on the market.
Dr Howard Porter, CEO of BEAMA and board member of ORGALIME.
BSI Conference
Standards increasingly matter wherever you go and whatever you do. On Thursday 22nd of June, the BSI Group hosted a one day conference in Edinburgh to discuss some of the major questions coming up in the field of standardization.
The event gathered standards professionals from 50 countries representing standards bodies, consumer organizations, intergovernmental bodies, business, NGOs and academia, to discuss how standards can support international trade, how they can help build smarter and better regulation, how modern ICT can be used in standard setting processes and how standards can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Standards make our lives safer, more prosperous and more sustainable", said David Bell, Head of Standards Policy Team of the BSI Group, opening the conference.
However, in the UK alone there are currently 37,000 standards. At the international level, ISO has published over 21,000 private standards and in the area of food safety and quality Codex has set over 300 standards and nearly 10,000 permitted levels of additives, contaminats and chemical residues.
Greater collaboration
In the face of new challenges in a changing world (climate change, growing populations and digital connectivity) the clear message from particpants in the conference was that this wealth of existing standards – be they private or governmental, national or international – calls for greater collaboration and cooperation.
"The post-2015 development agenda provides a unique opportunity for private and public standard setters alike to actually map which standards are out there, discover gaps and needs, and get rid of unnecessary duplications to help measure and achieve the SDGs", said Farooq Ullah, Director of Stakeholder Forum.
Codex is not alone in its endeavor to ensure public safety and fair practices in trade through the development of international standards. Part of the first goal in the current Strategic Plan of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is to strengthen coordination and cooperation with other international standard setting organizations to avoid duplication of efforts and optimize opportunities. Events like the BSI Conference are a welcome opportunity to learn more about how others deal with the same or similar challenges.
Anne Beutling
Codex Secretariat
To find out more about the event click here.
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
The role of standards in a changing world
If they are to be used, standards will have to keep up with what is happening on the market.
Dr Howard Porter, CEO of BEAMA and board member of ORGALIME.
BSI Conference
Standards increasingly matter wherever you go and whatever you do. On Thursday 22nd of June, the BSI Group hosted a one day conference in Edinburgh to discuss some of the major questions coming up in the field of standardization.
The event gathered standards professionals from 50 countries representing standards bodies, consumer organizations, intergovernmental bodies, business, NGOs and academia, to discuss how standards can support international trade, how they can help build smarter and better regulation, how modern ICT can be used in standard setting processes and how standards can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Standards make our lives safer, more prosperous and more sustainable", said David Bell, Head of Standards Policy Team of the BSI Group, opening the conference.
However, in the UK alone there are currently 37,000 standards. At the international level, ISO has published over 21,000 private standards and in the area of food safety and quality Codex has set over 300 standards and nearly 10,000 permitted levels of additives, contaminats and chemical residues.
Greater collaboration
In the face of new challenges in a changing world (climate change, growing populations and digital connectivity) the clear message from particpants in the conference was that this wealth of existing standards – be they private or governmental, national or international – calls for greater collaboration and cooperation.
"The post-2015 development agenda provides a unique opportunity for private and public standard setters alike to actually map which standards are out there, discover gaps and needs, and get rid of unnecessary duplications to help measure and achieve the SDGs", said Farooq Ullah, Director of Stakeholder Forum.
Codex is not alone in its endeavor to ensure public safety and fair practices in trade through the development of international standards. Part of the first goal in the current Strategic Plan of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is to strengthen coordination and cooperation with other international standard setting organizations to avoid duplication of efforts and optimize opportunities. Events like the BSI Conference are a welcome opportunity to learn more about how others deal with the same or similar challenges.
Anne Beutling
Codex Secretariat
To find out more about the event click here.
Codex and Observer
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.
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