State-sponsored organizations, product

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointiy sponsor the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which conducts a program for developing worldwide food standards. The Codex Committee for Cocoa Products and Chocolate has developed standards for chocolate (Codex Standard 87-1981), and cocoa powders and dry cocoa—sugar mixtures (Codex Standard 105-1981). As a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the United States is obligated to consider all Codex standards for acceptance. 

Membership organization sponsored by the Office of Pesticide Programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that maintains the National Pesticide Information Retrieval Service (NPIRS), which provides current information on products registered with the EPA and tolerance data for pesticides and hazardous chemicals. It also provides state registration information, registration guideline information, and descriptions of studies on pesticides and hazardous chemicals. 

Member states have 60 days to consider a valid request from an applicant to conduct a clinical study, in the case of trials involving medicinal products for gene therapy or somatic cell therapy or medicinal products containing genetically modified organisms an extension of a maximum of 30 days may be allowed. If the request to conduct a study is refused by the competent national authority, the sponsor may on one occasion only modify or amend the protocol to take account of the objections raised. No further appeal mechanism is provided. 

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