Codex Alimentarius Commission recommendations

In general, the question you should always ask is, What will the results of the analysis be used for . If you are sampling for compliance with a contractual requirement, i.e. the sample must contain a minimum/maximum amount of the analyte, then it is important to know how this is interpreted. At the time of writing, the Codex Alimentarius Commission recommended the following limits for food-grade salt [12] ... 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations—World Health Organization. 1969. Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission. Recommended International Standards for Lactose. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. 

Because of the status of the CAC described above, the work that it has carried out in the area of laboratory quality assurance must be carefully considered. One of the CAC Committees, the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS), has developed criteria for assessing the competence of testing laboratories involved in the official import and export control of foods. These were recommended by the Committee at its 21st Session in March 19979 and adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission at its 22nd Session in June 1997 10 they mirror the EU recommendations for laboratory quality standards and methods of analysis. The guidelines provide a framework for the implementation of quality assurance measures to ensure the competence of testing laboratories involved in the import and export control of foods. They are intended to assist countries in then-fair trade in foodstuffs and to protect consumers. 

The Joint FAO/WHO Meetings on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) began work in 1963 following a decision that the Codex Alimentarius Commission should recommend MRLs for pesticides and environmental contaminants in specific food products to ensure the safety of foods containing residues. It was also decided that JMPR should recommend methods of sampling and analysis. There is close cooperation between JMPR and the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). CCPR identifies those substances requiring priority evaluation. After JMPR evaluation, CCPR discusses the recommended MRLs and, if they are acceptable, forwards them to the Commission for adoption as Codex MRLs. 

Anon. (1984). Codex General Standards for Irradiated Foods and Recommended International Code of Practice for the Operation of Radiation Facilities used for the Treatment of Foods. Codex Alimentarius Commission, XV, 1st edn. Rome... 

Proficiency Testing of (Chemical) Analytical Laboratories .11 That protocol is recognised within the food sector of the European Community and also by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The protocol makes the following recommendations about the organisation of proficiency testing, all of which are important in the food sector. 

Selected references. These procedures were adapted essentially from AO AC Official Methods of Analysis [7s], The Society for Analytical Chemistry, Official, Standardised and Recommended Methods of Analysis [8g], UK Ministry of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 27 [21], Subcommittee on Procedures of the Chemistry Task Force of the (US) National Shellfish Sanitation Program [24] and Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission [125b]. Other pertinent references are 30i, 37a, 38d, 39d and 128b. 

Another potentially important source of food safety expertise resides in the Joint Expert Committees on Food Additives (JECFA), first organized in 1956 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and now associated with these organizations Codex Alimentarius Commission. JECFA reports have influenced decisions by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, and its recommendations... 

Before an evaluation of the impact of a possible mycotoxin contamination in fruits on human health, the general procedure of risk assessment and the outcome thereof for mycotoxins by international agencies is briefly described. With the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995, standards and recommendations elaborated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) reflect the international consensus for health and safety requirements (Moy, 1998). The CAC is an intergovernmental institution, which was founded in 1963 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Process flavourings shall be prepared In accordance with the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CAC/VOL A-Ed.2(1985)) recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) issued a guideline in 1997 for laboratories involved in the import/export testing of foods recommending that such laboratories meet the following four criteria ... 

Analytical results for the determination of antibiotic residues in food, in common with results generated in other laboratories or branches of analytical chemistry, must be reliable and comparable. It is a requirement for laboratories accredited under the ISO/IEC 17025 quality system that the measurement uncertainty associated with a result should be made available and reported if it is required by the client, is relevant to the validity of the test results, or may affect compliance with a specification, for example, compliance with a maximum residue limit (MRL) for antibiotics. The Codex Alimentarius Commission also recommends that laboratories provide their customers on request with information on the measurement uncertainty or a statement of confidence associated with quantitative results for veterinary drug residues. The relevant sections in ISO 17025 are quoted below ... 

Codex Alimentarius Commission, Document CAC/RS 33-1970 Recommended International Standard for Olive Oil, Virgin and Refined and for Refined Olive Oil Residue. 

Association), NSPA (National Soybean Processors Association), CGSB (the Canadian Government Specification Board) and the American Fats and Oils Association. Examples of the specifications for a few of the major oil types are set out in Table 5.2. The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission have published Recommended International Standards for individual oils, and national standards bodies, for example the British Standards Institute, issue specifications. 

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