THE USER'S MANUAL ON CODEX - Department of Biotechnology

International standards can be used by countries where the capacity to independently develop national
standards does not exist. Many developing countries do not have either the technically qualified personnel
or the financial resources to contract an expert to do the intense review necessary to evaluate the safety
of substances, conduct risk assessments, design inspection systems, develop the criteria for laboratory
accreditation, or the development of other parts of the official food control system. The best way to
handle these matters is to utilize the work of the Expert Committees (JECFA, JMPR), the outcome
of the ad hoc international expert groups/consultations, and the recommendations of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission. It is relevant that, over the past 100 years, food control has evolved in a slow
and methodical manner, taking one step at a time. It deals with the problems brought about by changes
in consumer demands, technology advances, abuses in the environment that influence the safety of
food, and new and intense approaches in agriculture and production. The latest challenges are just a
continuation of this process, except that there is a greater sense of urgency for those countries whose
systems have been slower in the evolutionary process. A liberalized trading system could bring many
benefits, especially at a time when demand is high and new opportunities exist. Missing out on this
chance simply because food control systems are lacking is likely to be at a great cost to economic
growth and to the safety of the national population.
6. FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR FOOD CONTROL
At the international level, there are some dramatic changes taking place in food control, driven in part
by the changes in international food trade. These changes are having both, a positive and negative
impact worldwide. For the economics of the developing world that relies heavily on agriculture, there
are prospects that additional resources resulting from increased trade can improve food control activities,
leading to improved food quality and safety for domestic and export trade.
The negative side of these changes, particularly for a developing country, is in relation to the increased
emphasis on food safety. This is not well managed within domestic trade, although the performance in
this area is better for export products. Each report of an episode of a food-borne disease from an
exported food product weakens trade and consumer confidence in the safety of all imported food
products, regardless of the exporting country responsible for the outbreak. Thus, it must be remembered
that the quality and safety problems of the exporting country can become the quality and safety problems
of a distant importing country almost overnight.
A country cannot go wrong by using Codex standards. Full participation within the limits of a country’s
resources is strongly recommended so that the Codex standards reflect the inputs of the Codex members
and each member has the chance to make a difference. By following Codex and adopting its standards,
a country is presumed to comply with the terms of the WTO SPS Agreement. Compliance is a tough
requirement and it will take an adequately administered and effective food control system to give countries
the type of assurance they will need to convince and establish the confidence of their trading partners.
The responsibility for achieving the same level of compliance for domestically produced and consumed
food is a shared one between industry, consumers and the government. The Codex Alimentarius goes
a long way in providing ‘readymade’ components for adoption into the official food control system.
The Codex process provides the level of expert debate necessary for updating standards and for dealing
with ever-emerging food safety and food quality issues.
REFERENCES
1. Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture, A Resource Manual. Volume III. FAO. Rome. 2000.
www.fao.org
2. Guidelines for Developing an Effective National Food Control System. Food Control Series 1. FAO.
Rome. 1976.
3. The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations: The Legal Text. Cambridge
University Press. WTO. 1994.
4. Codex Alimentarius. 14 Volumes. FAO/WHO. Rome. www.codexalimentarius.net
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