SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

FT 303: FOOD QUALITY CONTROL AND

LEGISLATION

LECTURE:
Click to editFOOD STANDARDS
Master subtitle style

Ms.FUNDIKIRA
SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Roles of Codex Alimentarius Commission in

formulation of food standards
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

History of Codex Alimentarius Commission

• Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1961 under the
Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program

• The statues of CAC was approved in 1963 (starting point of CAC’s

work)

• The words Codex Alimentarius are Latin, meaning food law or food
code.
• Formulation of Internationally accepted food safety standards for
protection of human healthy and to ensure fair practices in food
trade
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

CAC…
• Impacted quality and safety of world food supply
• Upgraded standards for manufacturing, processing, safety and quality
throughout world
• Codex also promotes coordination of all food standards work
undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental
organizations.
• CAC has 187 Codex Members including 186 Member Countries and 1
Member Organization (EU); and 220 Codex Observers including 50
International Governmental Organizations (IGOs), 154 Non
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and 16 United Nations
Organizations.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

CAC…
The CAC includes standards for all the principal foods, whether
processed, semi-processed or raw, for distribution to the
consumers includes general provisions in respect of:
• contaminants;
• food additives;
• food hygiene;
• inspection and certification;
• labelling and presentation;
• methods of analysis and sampling;
• pesticide residues; and
• veterinary drug residues.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Statutes of CAC
• The original Statutes of CAC were adopted in 1961 by the 11th
Session of the FAO Conference and in May 1963 by the 16th Session
of the World Health Assembly.

• The statutes were again Revised in 1966 and 2006, provide the legal
basis for the Commission’s work, and formally reflect the concepts
behind and reasons for its establishment.

• Statues consist of ten Articles (i.e. mandate, membership, observers,

reports and recommendations, executive committee, other subsidiary
bodies, rules of procedure, expenses) >>> more in Codex Procedural
Manual
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Rules of Procedure of the CAC

Rules of procedure provide for:
• conditions of membership of the Commission;

• Conditions for member organizations

• Appointment of Commission officers, including the chairperson, three vice

chairpersons,

• Appointment of regional coordinators and a secretary, and prescribe their

responsibilities;

• Establishment of an Executive Committee which meets between Commission

sessions and acts on behalf of the Commission as its executive organ;
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Rules of Procedure of the CAC

• Frequency and operation of Commission sessions;

• Nature of agendas for Commission sessions;

• Voting procedures;

• Observers;

• Preparation of Commission records and reports;

• Establishment of subsidiary bodies;

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Rules of Procedure of the CAC

• Procedures to be adopted in the elaboration of standards;

• Allocation of a budget and estimates of expenditure;

• Languages used by the Commission;

• Amendments and suspension implementation of rules;

• Entry into Force of Commission’s rules of procedures after approval

by Directors- General of FAO and WHO
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

• The CAC has 10 clearly defined Alimentarius Commission;
structures which include:
• Commission; • Bodies providing scientific advice
to the Codex Alimentarius
Commission;
• Executive Committee;
• Members;
• Codex Secretariat;
• Observers;
• Codex Contact Points;
• National Codex Committees;
• The General public
• Subsidiary bodies of the Codex
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of the CAC

Commission:
• It is the decision-making body of the Joint FAO/WHO
Food Standards Programme

• 1st meeting of the commission was held in Rome, Italy from

25 June - 3 July 1963

• It was attended by representatives from 31 countries

including South Africa
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

• The membership of CAC has increased from 31 (1963) to 186

member countries (2015), the last member country to join was
South Sudan

• The CAC meets annually

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of the CAC

Executive committee of the commission (CCEXEC):
• The CCEXEC is a Committee of 17 members

• The members include a chairperson and three vice-chairpersons

elected from among the delegates of the Members of the
Commission (they can be re-elected once)

• Since it was formed, only one chairperson from Africa lead the
commission; this was Dr. Claude Mosha (TBS) from 2005-2008.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure…
• Other members are elected regional wise (i.e. Africa, Europe,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East, North America, and
southwest Pacific)

• Six regional coordinators are also members of the CCEXEC; the

chairperson is the CAC Chairperson
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC…
Functions of CCEXEC:
• Conducting a critical review of Codex work;

• Paying particular attention to requests for new work;

• Presenting proposals to the Commission on the general direction of its activities;

• Studying special problems relating to standards development, and also problems

that may arise in the various Codex regions relating to standards developed

• Handling the strategic planning of the Codex Commission

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC…
Codex secretariat
• The Secretary of the CAC is elected through an open, worldwide search by the
Directors General of FAO and WHO.

• The Secretary has a small team of professional and technical staff to assist him/ her.

• It organizes the meetings of the CAC and CCEXEC

• It supervises the work of the Codex committees hosted by governments for the
purpose of preparing and distributing documents to the Codex contact points and to
the observers.

• It is the great communicator of the work of the CAC by providing guidance to

countries seeking information and makes the Commission’s decisions on standards
available to all interested parties
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
Codex contact points (CCP)
• Every Codex member country has CCP to facilitate an efficient and effective
communication and a good working relationship between the CAC and the
government

• The CCP serves as the official link between the CAC and the respective member
country and as the official national communication agent to the Commission

• CCP operates as the Secretariat in Rome; it is the national codex secretariat

• Leader of CCP serves as the secretary of the national codex committees

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC…
National codex committees:
• Each member Codex member country is encouraged to establish National
Codex Committees (NCCs) take on board interests and concerns of various
stakeholders (who can not attend international meetings) while taking
decisions at the CAC meetings

• NCC acts as a consultative group to the government on matters related to

Codex by providing a forum for discussions and for the formulation of the
national position(s) and responses to Codex proposals or policy.

• NCC involves representatives from all relevant national bodies, including

consumers organisations, business associations and other relevant
stakeholders in the country to expose their views for consideration and
inclusion in the national negotiating position
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC…
Subsidiary bodies of the CAC
• Codex Committees;

• Regional Coordinating Committees;

• Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces;

• Physical Working Groups;

• Electronic Working Groups.

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
Codex Committees (CC)
• They prepare draft standards for submission to the
Commission.
• Membership of CC is open to Members of the Commission
(by application)
• Non member may participate as an observer at any CC if it
has notified the Director-General of FAO or WHO (but has
no right to vote)
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
• The Committees are hosted by member countries, which are
responsible for the cost of the committees’ maintenance and
administration and for providing chairpersons.

• Codex Committees can be differentiated into general subject

committees and commodity committees
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
• The General Subject Committees work on questions of general
scope, applicable to all foods or food groups, and are therefore
often called “horizontal committees”.

• General subject (Horizontal) committees include:

• Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants; Food Import
and Export Inspection and Certification Systems; Food Hygiene; Food
Labelling; General Principles; Methods of Analysis and Sampling;
Pesticide Residues; Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food; Nutrition
and Foods for Special Dietary Uses
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
• The Commodity Committees develop standards for specific foods
or classes of food and are sometimes referred to as “vertical
committees”

• Commodity Committees convene as necessary and go into recess

or are abolished when the Commission decides their work has
been completed.

• New Committees may be established on an ad hoc basis to cover

specific needs for the development of new standards.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
• The following six commodity committees have been adjourned (not
active) include:
• Cocoa Products and Chocolate hosted by Switzerland

• Cereals, Pulses and Legumes hosted by United States of America

• Meat Hygiene hosted by New Zealand

• Milk and Milk Products hosted by New Zealand v. Natural Mineral Waters
hosted by Switzerland

• Vegetable Proteins hosted by Canada

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
• There are four Commodity Committees that meet regularly and
include:
• Codex Committee on Fats and Oils hosted by Malaysia;

• Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products hosted by Norway;

• Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables hosted by Mexico;

• Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables hosted by USA

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
Coordinating Committees
• They have no host countries; meetings are hosted by countries of a region on
an ad hoc basis and in agreement with the Commission.

• There are 6 Coordinating Committees - one each for: Africa, Asia, Europe,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North America and South
West Pacific.
• The Committees ensure that the work of the Commission is responsive to
regional interests and to the concerns of developing countries.
• They normally meet at two-year intervals
• Meeting reports are submitted to and discussed by the Commission.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
Bodies providing scientific advice to the CAC
• The work of CAC is science based and follows the principles of risk
analysis

• The Commission is the risk manager as such the Codex committees,

when developing standards rely on independent scientific advice
provided by bodies not officially part of the CAC structure.

• These bodies are constituted jointly by FAO and WHO and provide
expert scientific advice on many aspects of food quality, safety and
nutrition
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Structure of CAC
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA,
1995):
• Consider chemical, toxicological and other aspects of contaminants and
residues of veterinary drugs in foods

• It works in collaboration with the codex committee on food additives and

contaminants, and codex committee on residues of veterinary drugs in
foods

• The codex committees identify food additives, contaminants and veterinary

drugs requiring priority of evaluation by JECFA

• After assessment with JECFA they are incorporated in the standards

 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Status of CAC
The main principles of developing scientific advise are:
• Excellence: internationally recognised expert, create platform for global
scientific discussions

• Independence: expert contribute on their own capacity, declare possible

conflict of interests

• Transparency : procedures and methods used to all interested parties,

access to reports

• Universality: institutions and all interested parties worldwide are invited

and cooperate
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING CODEX ALIMENTARIUS STANDARDS

• Submission of a proposal for a standard to be developed by the national
government or subsidiary committee of the commission to the committee
• Step 1: Proposal is reviewed by the executive committee and compared against
established criteria

• Step 2: Preparation of proposed draft standard

• Step 3: Draft standard is circulated to member governments and interested

international organisations for comments

• Step 4: Draft and comments are considered by committee and present the
text (or develop new draft) to the commission as draft standard
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING CODEX ALIMENTARIUS STANDARDS

• Step 5: the commission reviews the progress made and agrees that the draft should
go to finalization. The draft standards may be referred to codex committees
(labeling, hygiene, additives) for endorsement

• Step 6 : The draft standard is again sent out to all Members of the Commission and
interested international organizations for further comment.

• Step 7: The comments received from member states and international organizations
are sent by the Secretariat to the corresponding subsidiary body, which will
consider such comments and amend the draft standard accordingly

• Step 8: The draft standard is submitted through the Secretariat to the Executive
Committee for critical review and to the Commission, with a view to its adoption as a
new Codex standard.
SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Tanzania Bureau of standards (TBS)

• At national level, TBS is responsible with formulation, promulgation
and implementation of national standards

• TBS is Tanzania’s sole standards body established by Act No. 3 of

1975 and subsequently amended by Act No. 1 of 1977, and Act No.2
of 2009.

• It became operational in April, 1976

• TBS is a parastatal organization under the Ministry of Industry,

Trade and Marketing.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

TBS …
• It uses Codex Alimentarius standards as benchmarking or reference
standards to formulate the respective national food standards

• Tanzania has more than 1500 standards, test methods, codes of

practices and hygiene; however, about 250 are food related
standards covering compositional and microbiological specifications
(www.tbs.co.tz).

• Food standards of all member countries of the Eastern African

Community are harmonised with the EAC standards.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Functions of TBS
• Formulation and promulgation of Tanzania standards in all
sectors (textiles, leather, agriculture and food, chemicals,
engineering and the environment) of the country’s economy.

• To implement the promulgated standards through third party

certification schemes (i.e. ‘tbs’ standards mark of quality of
products, batch certification scheme for imports, quality
management system registration scheme)
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Functions of TBS
• To improve the quality of industrial products both for export
and local consumption through various certification schemes like
pre-export /pre-import inspection and testing, the tested
product certification scheme and quality system registration.

• To promote standardization and quality assurance services in

industry and commerce through training of personnel in company
standardization, quality assurance, quality improvement and
laboratory techniques.
 SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Functions of TBS
• To undertake the testing of product samples drawn by TBS
inspectors in the course of implementing standards
(certification samples) or as requested by manufacturers (type-
testing samples).

• To undertake calibration of industrial and commercial measuring

equipment and instruments in the areas of mass, length, volume,
energy, and temperature.
SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

Questions and Discussion