The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The main purposes of this Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
NEWS (FROM SITE: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp)
Codex Trust Fund application deadline 31 October 2009
The FAO/WHO Project and Fund for Enhanced Participation in Codex (Codex Trust Fund) is now accepting applications for support for developing countries and countries with economies in transition to participate in Codex meetings scheduled for 2010.
Information concerning these applications and eligibility of countries can be found on the Codex Trust Fund website at:
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/codex/trustfund/en/index6.html.
All applications and queries must be sent by the official Codex Contact Point in the country to the Codex Trust Fund Secretariat using the Trust Fund e-mail (codextrustfund@who.int). Applications sent through other channels may fail to meet the deadline and will not be receivable.
Deadline for submitting applications: 31 October 2009.
Final version of CAC32 report
The final version of the report of the 32nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in English is available here.
Call for expressions of interest for a mid-term review of the Codex trust fund
The FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund is seeking a private consultant/consulting firm, academic institution, or specialized center to conduct a mid-term review of the Codex Trust Fund.
Deadline for applications: 9 October 2009
For application information, please go here.
Biotechnology (GM food)
The application of modern biotechnology to food and food production (GM food) presents new opportunities and potential benefits, as well as challenges in ensuring consumer protection. Recent developments have posed concerns, both real and perceived, about the safety of these technologies.
Member Countries, especially developing ones, look to FAO to provide sound and unbiased advice on the safety of GM food, and AGNS, in collaboration with international bodies such as Codex, has been involved in a wide range of biotechnology related issues, including:
* Science-based safety evaluation and risk assessment systems to objectively determine the benefits and risks of GM food
* Recommendations for the labelling of foods obtained through biotechnology
* Assessing nutritional aspects of food derived from modern biotechnology;
* Detection of protein and/or DNA in GM food
In 1999 the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), established an Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology to consider the health and nutritional implications of such food. It is tasked with developing standards, guidelines or recommendations, as appropriate, for foods derived from biotechnology or traits introduced into foods by biotechnology.
The scientific basis for the work of Task Force is provided by FAO and WHO through a series of scientific expert consultations on the safety and nutritional aspects of GM food. These expert consultations, while addressing issues which are closely related to the work of the Task Force, are completely independent from the inter-governmental negotiation process, and treat the subject from a purely scientific perspective.
Welcome to New Codex Member
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Somalia as a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Region: Africa). This brings the membership of the Commission to 183 members (182 member countries and one member organisation).
(FULL TEXT: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/members.jsp?lang=EN)
Having spent the past twelve months investigating Codex Alimentarius, I am deeply disturbed by the almost total lack of awareness (or even interest) with regard to the implications of this pernicious global Commission, particularly amongst those most affected by the excesses of this restrictive legislation.
In the words of the National Health Federation[i], the aims and objectives of Codex Alimentarius are as follows:
* Only low-potency, “me too” supplements available that will do nothing for your health.
* All or most foods genetically-modified.
* Beneficial supplements unavailable or sold by prescription only.
For many people, this agenda is so outrageous, they cannot believe such goals are achievable; yet this may well be the reality as soon as 31st December 2009, if the Codex Alimentarius Commission continues to disregard input from those who offer a counter perspective to the combined forces of Big Farmer & Big Pharma.
(site: http://www.foodfreedomnetwork.com/2009/10/video-explaination-of-codex.html )
MEMBERS OF CAC (CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION):
A
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
B
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
C
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
D
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
E
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
European Community
F
Fiji
Finland
France
G
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
H
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
I
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
J
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
L
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
M
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives (Republic of)
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
N
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
O
Oman
P
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Q
Qatar
R
Republic of Korea
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
S
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
T
Tajikistan
Thailand
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
U
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Republic of Tanzania
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
V
Vanuatu
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Viet Nam
Y
Yemen
Z
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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