THE USER'S MANUAL ON CODEX - Department of Biotechnology

3. FORMAT FOR CODEX COMMODITY STANDARDS AND THEIR CONTENT
A format for Codex Commodity Standards and their content is provided by the General Principles of
the Codex Alimentarius. It includes the following categories of information:
k Scope: including the name of the standard.
k Description, essential composition and quality factors: defining the minimum standards for the food.
k Food additives: only those cleared by the FAO and the WHO may be used.
k Contaminants.
k Hygiene.
k Weights and measures.
k Labeling.
k Methods of analysis and sampling.
In addition to commodity standards, the Codex Alimentarius includes general standards which have
across-the-board applications to all food and are not product-specific. There are also documents titled
Principles and Guidelines (for example, Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems,
Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Food); Codes and
Recommendations (for example, Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of
Food Hygiene, and other relevant Codex texts such as Code of Ethics for International Trade in Food).
There are general standards or recommendations for:
k Food labeling.
k Food additives.
k Contaminants.
k Methods of analysis and sampling.
k Food hygiene.
k Nutrition and food for special dietary uses.
k Food import and export inspection and certification systems.
k Residues of veterinary drugs in food.
k Pesticide residues in food.
All the documents related to Codex Standards, Principles, Guidelines, Codes and Recommendations
are classified into 13 volumes and published in hard copies. They are also available through the
Internet and on CD-ROMs. The subject of each volume is outlined in Annex I. Collectively, the volumes
contain general principles, general standards, definitions, codes, commodity standards, methods and
recommendations. The contents list of each volume is well organized for easy reference, as illustrated
by outlining the contents of Volume I A relating to General Requirements in Annex I.
4. READING THE CODEX TEXT
As soon as the text is received from the Codex Secretariat and made accessible to the stakeholders, it
should be incumbent on the part of each stakeholder to ascertain:
k What is required.
k Who has made the request.
k Type of Codex text.
k Date for submitting comments, if required.
k Step at which the text has arrived.
They should also identify the agencies, if any, that should be consulted.
k Government agencies.
k Experts of research institutions/universities.
k Commodity promotion boards.
k Sub-group of peak industry bodies.
k State branches of national consumer groups.
k Other concerned organizations, if any.
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