Food Portal

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The Codex Alimentarius (Latin for "food code" or "food book") is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety under the aegis of consumer protection. These texts are developed and maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a body that was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Commission's main aims are stated as being to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The Codex Alimentarius is recognized by the World Trade Organization as an international reference point for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection. Image File history File links Portal. ... Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent Foodborne illness. ... FAO redirects here. ... UN redirects here. ... WHO redirects here. ... Consumers refers to individuals or households that use goods and services generated within the economy. ... WTO redirects here. ... A reference point is a location that is used in measurement of a huge variety of phenomena. ... A controversy is a contentious dispute, a disagreement over which parties are actively arguing. ... Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent Foodborne illness. ... Consumer protection is a form of government regulation which protects the interests of consumers. ...

Scope

The Codex Alimentarius officially covers all foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, but far more attention has been given to foods that are marketed directly to consumers. In addition to standards for specific foods, the Codex Alimentarius contains general standards covering matters such as food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, and procedures for assessing the safety of foods derived from modern biotechnology. It also contains guidelines for the management of official (i.e., governmental) import and export inspection and certification systems for foods. Raw Food is a term most commonly used in the food industry to describe food that has not been cooked or otherwise processed. ... The law in the UK on food labelling is multifaceted and is spread over many reforms and parliamentary acts, making the subject complex. ... Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness. ... Food additives are substances added to food to preserve it, or to improve its flavour and appearance. ... A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used for preventing, controlling, or lessening the damage caused by a pest. ... Insulin crystals Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. ...

The Codex Alimentarius is published in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. Not all texts are available in all languages. Arabic redirects here. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

General texts

• Food labeling (general standard, guidelines on nutrition labeling, guidelines on labeling claims)
• Food additives (general standard including authorized uses, specifications for food grade chemicals)
• Contaminants in foods (general standard, tolerances for specific contaminants including radionuclides, aflatoxins and other mycotoxins)
• Pesticide and veterinary chemical residues in foods (maximum residue limits)
• Risk assessment procedures for determining the safety of foods derived from biotechnology (DNA-modified plants, DNA-modified micro-organisms, allergens)
• Food hygiene (general principles, codes of hygienic practice in specific industries or food handling establishments, guidelines for the use of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point or “HACCP” system)
• Methods of analysis and sampling

The Nutrition Facts table indicates the amounts of nutrients which experts recommend you limit or consume in adequate amounts. ... Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance. ... The Lachine Canal, in Montreal, is badly polluted Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable Goat, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy which is available to be imparted either to a newly-created radiation particle within the nucleus, or else to an atomic electron (see internal conversion) . The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay... Chemical structure of aflatoxin B1 Aflatoxins are naturally occurring mycotoxins that are produced by many species of Aspergillus, a fungus, most notably Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. ... Mycotoxin (from Gk. ... A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used for preventing, controlling, or lessening the damage caused by a pest. ... Risk assessment is considered as the innitial and periodical step in a risk management process. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... An allergen is any substance (antigen), most often eaten or inhaled, that is recognized by the immune system and causes an allergic reaction. ... Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness. ... Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic method used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions, known as Critical Control Points (CCPs), can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards being realised. ...

Specific standards

• Meat products (fresh, frozen, processed meats and poultry)
• Fish and fishery products (marine, fresh water and aquaculture)
• Milk and milk products
• Foods for special dietary uses (including infant formulae and baby foods)
• Fresh and processed vegetables, fruits, and fruit juices
• Cereals and derived products, dried legumes
• Fats, oils and derived products such as margarine
• Miscellaneous food products (chocolate, sugar, honey, mineral water)

For other uses, see Meat (disambiguation). ... Ducks amongst other poultry The Poultry-dealer, after Cesare Vecellio Poultry is the category of domesticated birds kept for meat, eggs, and feathers. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... A fishery (plural: fisheries) is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species, an activity known as fishing. ... Workers harvest catfish from the Delta Pride Catfish farms in Mississippi Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms. ... A glass of cows milk. ... In nutrition, the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. ... An infant being fed by bottle. ... Baby food is any food that is made specifically for infants, roughly between the ages of six months to two years. ... For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Juice is the liquid naturally contained in plants. ... Grain redirects here. ... This article is about the fruit of the plants also called legumes. For the plants themselves, see Fabaceae . ... Margarine in a tub Margarine (pronunciation: ), as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes. ... For other uses, see Chocolate (disambiguation). ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... For other uses, see Honey (disambiguation). ... In many places, mineral water is often colloquially used to mean carbonated water (which is usually carbonated mineral water, as opposed to tap water). ...

Controversy

In 1996, the Ecologist magazine revealed that, when the Codex Alimentarius met, the German delegation put forward a proposal, sponsored by three German pharmaceutical firms, that no herb, vitamin or mineral should be sold for preventive or therapeutic reasons, and that supplements should be reclassified as drugs. The proposal was agreed, but protests halted its implementation.^[1] The 28th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission was subsequently held July 4 - July 9, 2005. ^[2] Among the many issues discussed were the "Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements"^[3], which were adopted during the meeting as a new global standard. This text has been the subject of considerable controversy, in part because many member countries regulate these substances as therapeutic goods or pharmaceuticals and not as foods (if they were not foods, they would be excluded from the Codex Alimentarius). The text does not seek to ban supplements, but to subject them to dosage, labeling and composition requirements. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Retinol (one vitamer of Vitamin A) A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. ... A dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ...

The Guidelines have attracted concern from both consumers and industry due to the potential for restrictions on vitamins and minerals as dietary supplements. The health freedom movement has pointed to greater concerns related to restrictions on dietary supplement ingredients in Europe ^[4] via the European Union's Food Supplements Directive ^[5] (which utilizes approved lists of ingredients and ingredient forms) and potentially restrictive dosage limits to be based on a Codex model via the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) Nutrient Risk Assessment Project. ^[6] Retinol (one vitamer of Vitamin A) A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. ... For other uses, see Mineral (disambiguation). ... A dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ... The term health freedom movement is used to describe the loose coalition of consumers and alternative medicine providers around the world who are pushing for unhindered freedom of choice in healthcare. ...

There is also concern that Codex Alimentarius is an infringement on human rights, making Codex illegal under U.S. Constitutional law.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Codex Alimentarius Austriacus
• Dietary supplement
• Food Chemicals Codex
• Food safety
• Food supplement
• Health freedom movement
• Megavitamin therapy
• Specification (technical standard)

The Codex Alimentarius Austriacus was first established in 1891 with the work of the Austrian trade commission of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire as a collection of standards and descriptions for a wide variety of foods and food products. ... A dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ... Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent Foodborne illness. ... Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance. ... The term health freedom movement is used to describe the loose coalition of consumers and alternative medicine providers around the world who are pushing for unhindered freedom of choice in healthcare. ... In nutrition and CAM, megavitamin therapy makes use of large amounts of vitamins, often many times greater than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), to treat many types of diseases. ... Specification redirects here. ...

External links

• Codex Alimentarius Commission - official website
• 'Understanding the Codex Alimentarius' Published in 2005 by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed 4 May 2007.
• "Authority and Legitimacy in Global Governance: Deliberation, Institutional Differentiation, and the Codex Alimentarius" Michael Livermore, 81 NYU Law Review 766 (2006)
• Codex - Bridging the Great Divide (December 9, 2004)

References