Page 15 - Trade and Food Standards

Trade can be more complicated than we think. increasingly concerned about food-related risks,
What happens when two countries define the same product differently or if they set out different criteria to check that a product is safe? Let us think, for example, of the inconvenience as a traveller in having 15 different types of electrical outlet plugs in the world, or the enormous infrastructure investment required for train cargo and passengers to travel across the border between two countries that have different track gauge. Then consider the benefits of being able to plug in and use a USB key with any computer worldwide or the advantages of standard cables, standard operating systems or the standard size of a credit card.
Ensuring that food is safe to eat, and that consumers are not deceived by dishonest practices, have been among the important tasks entrusted to governments since antiquity. Throughout history, many countries have independently developed food laws and regulations, and have often found different solutions to ensure that food was safe, up to the quality expected, and that consumers received sufficient and accurate information about the products they were purchasing. However, the differences between national requirements and specifications often make it difficult to trade food across borders. At the same time, consumers are
The Codex Alimentarius Joint FAO/WHO International Food Standards Programme, established by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1963, is the single most important international reference point for food standards.
including health hazards due to micro-organisms, pesticide residues, other contaminants and unsafe food additives.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created to respond to these concerns, with the objective of developing and publishing food standards in a “food code” that would protect public health and ensure fair practices in the food trade. In accordance with Codex General Principles, the publication of the food code is intended to guide and promote the elaboration and establishment of definitions and requirements for foods so they can be harmonized and thereby facilitate international trade. This is why Codex standards began to play a key role under the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements.
Here we will look at the institutional framework underlying food standards and trade at international level and how it operates as a system. This part begins with the food code itself, highlighting the essential nature of Codex standards, how they are developed and by whom. It then describes the trade side of the story, including the set of rules incorporated in two major agreements under the auspices of the WTO, which rely on Codex standards. This part also introduces the legal branch of the system through the WTO dispute-settlement mechanisms available to resolve trade problems arising from food-related measures.
The Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established by FAO and the WHO in 1963 as part of the Joint FAO/WHO International Food Standards Programme. It is the single most important international reference point for food standards. The joint nature of Codex is the key to its success. All actors along the food chain need to work together to ensure safe food in every home.
What is Codex?
Codex Alimentarius is a compilation of harmonized international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice. Collectively, these Codex texts aim to protect consumer health and promote fair practices in the food trade, and are developed with the joint input of independent experts and the
Part 1. The institutional framework 3