"The Codex Alimentarius Commission envisages a world afforded the highest attainable levels of consumer protection including food safety and quality. To this end, the Commission will develop internationally agreed standards and related texts for use in domestic regulation and international trade in food that are based on scientific principles and fulfil the objectives of consumer health protection and fair practices in food trade.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body with over 170 members, within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with the purpose of protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade. The Commission also promotes coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non governmental organizations.
The Codex Alimentarius (Latin, meaning Food Law or Code) is the result of the Commission’s work: a collection of internationally adopted food standards, guidelines, codes of practice and other recommendations."
STRATEGIC PLAN 2008–2013
This document sets out the Strategic Plan 2008–2013 for the Codex Alimentarius Commission, stating strategic goals of the Commission (Part1) and incorporating a list of programme areas and planned activities with a clearly defined timetable (Part 2). The strategic vision and goals for the Commission underpin the high priority attached to food safety by its parent organizations FAO and WHO.
Further information on these texts, or any other aspect of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, may be obtained from:
The Secretary
Codex Alimentarius Commission
Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome, Italy
Fax: +39 06 57054593
E-mail: codex@fao.org
http://www.codexalimentarius.net
Programme areas and planned activities2008–2013
Goal 1: Promoting sound regulatory frameworks
Goal 2: Promoting widest and consistent application of scientific principles and risk analysis
Goal 3: Strengthening Codex work-management capabilities
Goal 4: Promoting cooperation between Codex and other relevant international organizations
Goal 5: Promoting maximum and effective participation of members
full strategic plan available for download hereunder.
Who decides what we eat?
While many of the aims of the Codex Alimentarius Commission are laudable, there is another darker side of this in terms of the possible impact of indigenous knowledge systems and food security throughout Africa and the developing world. As I read them, these standards mean a new form of protectionism - yet another way of squeezing producers in developing countries. The bottom line is - if you aren't using these (GM) seeds and this way of growing/storage (which, of course, requires a substantial capital investment) as dictated by the Codex Alimentarius we can't import your produce anymore.
Geoffrey M., Nairobi