International standards - Codex Alimentarius

Internationally too, measures have been established to protect consumers and ensure the authenticity of the foods they purchase, namely the standards of the Codex Alimentarius ( food code ). These will be described in this section and in particular as they relate to edible fats and oils. However, in order to put this into context, some background information will be given first on the Codex Alimentarius organization and how it works. 

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The international food standards, Codex Alimentarius, state ... 

The source of international food standards. Codex Alimentarius, is pubHshed by the Food and Agricultural Organization and World Health Organization (FAOAVHO) of the United Nations. In Europe, the sources of food standards are EU directives. The Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) deals with the issue of additives, contaminants and natural toxins in food, and also proposes the Maximum Residue Level (MRL, in mg/kg food) for food additives, for example, in the case of arbitration of the World Trade Organisation. The advisory body of CCFAC is the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), composed of experts from Member States and Associated Countries of the FAO/WHO. Recommendations for the EU come from a committee of experts nominated by an authority called the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF). These recommendations are converted into legislative form in different countries. In the United States, for example, the source of food standards is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) sets standards for food safety and inspects meat, poultry, and egg products produced domestically and imported. The Service inspects animals and birds at slaughter and processed products at various stages of the production process, and analyzes products for microbiological and chemical adulterants. FSIS also informs the public about meat, poultry, and egg product food safety issues. FSIS works with the Research, Education and Economics mission area on food safety research issues and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on instances where animal diseases impact food safety. FSIS also facilitates the management of US activities pertaining to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international organization created by the United Nations, to promote the health and economic interests of consumers while encouraging fair international trade in food. 

Thus, as for the European Union, the requirements are based on accreditation, proficiency testing, the use of validated methods of analysis and, in addition, the formal requirement to use internal quality control procedures which comply with the Harmonised Guidelines. Although the EU and Codex Alimentarius Commission refer to different sets of accreditation standards, the ISO/IEC Guide 25 1990 and EN 45000 series of standards are similar in intent. It is only through these measures that international trade will be facilitated and the requirements to allow mutual recognition to be fulfilled will be achieved. 

Beyond national approvals the Codex Alimentarius is developing a General Standard for Food Additives which will be the applicable basis for international trade. All and only sweeteners endorsed for food use by JECFA are/or will be listed in this standard. For bulk sweeteners the standard has progressed to permanent while the part dealing with intense sweeteners is still under discussion. 

The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally adopted food standards presented in a uniform manner.6 These food standards aim to protect the consumer s health and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The Codex Alimentarius also includes provisions of an advisory nature in the form of codes of practice, guidelines and other recommended measures. Codex standards contain requirements for food including provisions for food additives. 

While all nations of the world possess the sovereign right to establish their own acceptable levels for pesticide residues in foods, many lack the resources to develop their own regulatory programs and instead rely upon a set of international standards developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, frequently referred to as Codex. The Codex international standards are termed maximum residue limits (MRLs) and, like U.S. tolerances, are established primarily as enforcement tools for determining whether pesticide applications are made according to established directions. While many countries have adopted Codex MRLs, others, such as the U.S. and several Asian countries, rely on their own standards. Thus, there is no uniformity among the world with respect to allowable levels of pesticides on foods. A pesticide-commodity... 

Codex Alimentarius (1997). Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. International code of practice - general principles of food hygiene, in General Requirements (Food Hygiene), Codex Alimentarius (supplement to volume IB), FAO/WHO, Rome. 

American Cancer Society Codex Alimentarius (International food standards)... 

Toxicological evaluations of food additives and of contaminants, naturally occurring toxicants and residues of veterinary drugs in food produced by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and of pesticide residues in food by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) are used by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and national governments to set international food standards and safe levels for protection of the consumer. 

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 Program. The main purposes of this Program are to protect the health of the consumers and to ensure fair trade practices in the food trade, and to promote the coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and nongovernmental organizations (CA 2007). 

HPLC analysis of TAGs was applied to olive oils and a limit for LLL was established at 0.5% of the total TAGs and enclosed in the European Commission (EC) Regulation on olive oils, as well as in the related international norms (International Olive Oil Trade Norm [2], Codex Alimentarius Standard [3]). The method performed the separation by RP-HPLC on a C18 Lichrosorb or Lichrosphere column, 25x0.46 cm, 5 J,m of particle size, isocratic elution with acetone/acetonitrile (50/50 v/v) and RI detection. Eigure 19.1 reproduced the HPLC traces annexed to the official method [4] chromatogram A refers to 100% soybean oil, B to a mixture 50/50 soybean and olive, C 100% olive oil. 

On the international level, relevant standards are available from the IUPAC, ISO, and AOAC International [4, 8,16,17] and from the Codex Alimentarius working group CCMAS [18-21]. Other helping guides have been published by the EAL [22] and ILAC [23] (see Table 1 for explanation of abbreviations). 

The international Codex Alimentarius Commission within the United Nations FAO/WHO Food Standards Program has a CCMAS. CCMAS works out criteria... 

The global nature of the food supply and world food trade have made food quality and food safety international issues. Hence, since its inception, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been working toward the improvement of food safety. In partnership with the Lood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (LAO), WHO provides for the Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The latter Commission is responsible for all matters pertaining to the implementation of the Joint LAO/WHO Lood Standards Program. 

The Codex Alimentarius is a code of food standards for all nations. All members of CAC and interested international organizations are invited to comment on proposed standards, including possible implications for their economic interests. Members are encouraged to consult with interested and affected parties in their countries. Codex standards are recognized by the World Trade Organization as the international reference standards for food safety. 

Standards for anhydrous lactose are presented in Recommended International Standards for Lactose by the Food and Agriculture Organization, Codex Alimentarius, 1969. 

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. 

Internationally, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) periodically considers food additives, including antioxidants, on the basis of all available scientific data to establish acceptable daily intake levels (92) and specifications on the identity and purity of the additives. The conclusions of JECFA are published in numerous reports and technological summaries by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the WHO Technical Report Series and WHO Food Additives Series. Such information provided by JECFA is used by the Joint FAO/ WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission in implementing the Joint FAO/WHO Standards Program, which was established to elaborate international standards for foods to protect the health of consumers, to ensure fair practices in food trade, and to facilitate international trade (90). 

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... 

The MRL is not a toxicological parameter, but rather a trading standard set by national and international authorities (e.g. Codex Alimentarius) to ensure that residues are controlled in world food trade. 

In 1961/62 the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to elaborate international food standards and codes of practice for questions related to food. Questions concerning contaminants were dealt with, partly by the Commodity Committees and partly in the Codex Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC). The Codex Alimentarius system concerning contaminants is described in section 12.2. 

The Joint FAOAVHO Food Standard Programme and the Codex Alimentarius Commission elaborate international food standards and codes of practice for questions related to food. Codex Alimentarius is Latin and means food code. The purpose of the Joint FAOAVHO Food Standards Programme, as laid down in the statutes of the Codex Alimentarius Commission includes... 

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