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FOOD 528 > Codex Alimentarius > Flashcards

Codex Alimentarius Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the responsibilities of the FAO?

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

A

Nutrition and associated international food standards

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2
Q

What are the responsibilities of the WHO?

World Health Organization

A

Human health with a mandate to establish food standards

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3
Q

What ocurred at the FAO Conference?

1961

A

Establishment of a Codex Alimentarius Commission

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4
Q

What occurred at the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Conference?

A

The Codex Alimentarius Commission was mandated to implement a joint FAO/WHO food standards program and create the Codex Alimentarius.

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5
Q

What were the trade concerns driving the establishment of the Codex?

A
  • Various food regulations and the development of food laws and standards by different countries gave rise to trade barriers
  • Lack of any harmonization

An example of this lack of harmonization is the attempt to sell saskatoon berries in EU. They are considered a ‘novel’ food because there is no history of safe use in EU, so they face much stricter regulations.

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6
Q

What were the consumer concerns driving establishment of the Codex?

A
  • Growing knowledge of food safety and hazards
    • Microorganisms
    • Pesticide residues and environmental contaminants
    • Food additives
      • Insufficiently controlled use
    • Misleading labelling
    • Poor quality and size variations of food
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7
Q

What are the drivers behind the establishment of the Codex? [2]

A
  • Trade concerns
  • Consumer concerns
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8
Q

What is the Codex Alimentarius?

A
  • Food Code
  • A collection of standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations related to food products and processes
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9
Q

What is the Codex Alimentarius Mandate? [2]

A
  • Develop international food standards
    • Protect consumer health
    • Ensure fair practices in the food trade
  • Coordinate all food standards work at the international level
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10
Q

Describe the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards program.

A
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11
Q

Codex Alimentarius

Define: Food.

A

Any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is intended for human consumption and includes a drink, chewing gum and any substance which has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of “food”.

Does not include cosmetics or tobacco or substances used only as drugs.

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12
Q

Codex Alimentarius

Define: Food hygiene.

A

Comprises conditions and measures necessary for the production, processing, storage and distribution of food designed to ensure a safe, sound, wholesome product fit for human consumption.

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13
Q

Codex Alimentarius

Define: Food Additive.

A
  • Any substance not normally consumed as a food by itself and not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food, whether or not it has nutritive value.
  • Intentionally added to food for a technological purpose
    • Processing, preparation (including a sensory aspect of foods), treatment, packaging, transport
  • Affect the characteristics of foods and may become (directly or indirectly) components of foods
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14
Q

What are commodity standards related to?

A
  • Related to product characteristics appropriate to the food commodity
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15
Q

What may general standards be?

A
  • May be complex (labelling standards) or dealing with one characteristic (Maximum residue limits) for residues of pesticides or veterinary drugs in foods
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16
Q

Horizontal committees develop general standards.
True or False?

A

True.

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17
Q

Horizontal committees develop commodity standards.
True or False?

A

False.
Horizontal committees develop general standards.

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18
Q

Vertical committees develop commodity standards.
True or False?

A

True.

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19
Q

Vertical committees develop general standards.
True or False?

A

False.
Vertical committees develop commodity standards.

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20
Q

List some products that have commodity standards.

A
  • Cereals, pulses, legumes, and derived products including vegetable proteins
  • Fats and oils and related products
  • Fish and fishery products
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Processed fruits and vegetables
  • Sugars, cocoa products, chocolate, and other miscellaneous products
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21
Q

What is included in a commodity standard? [8]

A
  • Scope
  • Description
  • Essential composition
  • Food additives
  • Contaminants
  • Hygiene
  • Labelling
  • Methods of analysis and sampling
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22
Q

What is specified in the ‘contaminants’ section of commodity standards?

A
  • Contains limits for contaminants that may occur in the product(s) covered by the standard.
  • General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CXS 193-1995)
    • Where appropriate, reference is also made to the Codex Maximum Limits for pesticide residues and residues of veterinary drugs in foods.
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23
Q

What is included in the ‘hygiene’ section of commodity standards?

A
  • Refers to relevant Codex Codes of Hygienic Practice for the commodity concerned
  • the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-
    1969), the Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk
    and Milk Products (CXC 57-2004)
    • It is required that the product shall be free from pathogenic microorganisms or any toxins or other poisonous or deleterious substances in amounts that represent a health hazard.
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24
Q

What is included in the ‘labelling’ section of commodity standards?

A
  • Includes provisions on the name of the food and any special requirements to ensure that the consumer is not deceived or misled about the nature of the food
    • These provisions must be consistent with the Codex General Standard for Labelling Prepackaged Foods (CXS 1-1985)
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25
Q

What is included in the ‘methods of analysis and sampling’ section of a commodity standard?

A
  • Contains a list of the test methods needed to ensure that the commodity conforms to the requirement of the standard
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26
Q

What is included in the ‘labelling’ section of a commodity standard?

A
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27
Q

List some general standards.

A
  • Food additives
  • Food contaminants and toxins
  • General standards for the labelling of prepackaged foods
  • Recommended methods of analysis and sampling
  • Pesticide residues
  • Residues of veterinary drugs in foods
    • Maximum residue limits
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28
Q

Give an example of a general standard for Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.

A
  • For persons intolerant to gluten
  • For weight control and weight reduction
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29
Q

What are the Codex Guidelines?

A
  • For food import and export inspection and certification
  • For production, processing, marketing, and labelling of organic foods
  • For the use of the term ‘halal’
  • For the use of nutrition and health claims
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30
Q

Codex Alimentarius

What is a health claim?

A
  • Any representation that states, suggests, or implies that a relationship exists between a food or a constituent of that food and health.
  • Health claims include:
    • Nutrient function claim
    • Other function claim
    • Reduction of disease risk claims
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31
Q

What is a nutrient function claim?

Health claim

A
  • A nutrition claim that describes the physiological role of the nutrient in growth, development, and normal functions of the body.
32
Q

What is ‘other function claim’?

Health claim

A
  • These claims concern specific beneficial effects of the consumption of foods or their constituents in the context of the total diet on normal functions or biological activities of the body.
  • Such claims relate to a positive contribution to health, the improvement of a function, or to modifying or preserving health
33
Q

What is a reduction of disease risk claim?

Health claim

A
  • Claims relating the consumption of a food or food constituent, in the context of the total diet, to the reduced risk of developing a disease or health related condition
    • Risk reduction means significantly altering a major risk factor(s) for a disease or health-related condition. Diseases have multiple risk factors, and altering one of those risk factors may or may not have a beneficial
      effect.
    • The presentation of risk-reduction claims must ensure that consumers do not interpret them as prevention claims by using appropriate language and reference to other risk factors.
34
Q

What are Codex Codes of Practice?

A
  • General Principles of Food Hygiene
    • HACCP food safety management system
    • Maintenance and sanitation
    • Personnel hygiene
  • Codes of practice for individual food products
35
Q

What are Codex Guidelines for GMO?

A
  • Safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant DNA
    • Plants
    • Microorganisms
    • Animals
    • Methodology
36
Q

Where is the Codex Alimentarius Commission headquarters?

A

Rome

37
Q

Codex Alimentarius Commission membership is open to […]

A

All countries within the UN

EU - member organization

Currently 186 countries participate

38
Q

How many standards, recommendations, and guidelines have been developed and accepted?

A
  • Over 4,000 standards, recommendations, and guidelines have been developed and accepted
  • More than 200 standards already endorsed by member countries throughout the world
39
Q

What are the fundamental objectives of the Codex Alimentarius Commission? [4]

A
  • Establishing sound and internationally agreed food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice
  • Guiding member countries that fit their regulatory systems
  • Ensuring the safety and quality of foods entering international trade
  • Collaboration between Codex and various organizations
40
Q

What are the main focus of the established food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice? [3]

Codex Objectives

A
  • Consumer health protection
  • Fair practices in trade
  • The needs and particular concerns of all the countries
41
Q

How do the Codex Alimentarius Commission guide member countries that fit their regulations?

Codex Objectives

A
  • International standards; guidelines for food safety; nutrition; labelling; inspection; import/export; certification systems
  • International harmonization based on Codex stanadards, guidelines, and recommendations
42
Q

Describe collaboration between Codex and various organizations.

Codex Objectives

A
  • FAO/WHO and subsidiaries, WTO, EU Commission
  • Conventions: food aid convention, environment, climate change, a treaty on genetic resources
  • Signing agreements
43
Q

[…] are acceptable reference standards for settling trade disputes.

A

Codex standards

44
Q

Codex is recognized in the relevant WTO agreements as […]

A

the international body able to provide food standards to guarantee international trade

45
Q

Describe the agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS agreement). [2]

A
  • SDS identifies Codex standards as an international benchmark - gives significant weight in the context of trade disputes
  • Members are encouraged to base their national measures on international standards
46
Q

Describe the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade agreement (TBT agreement). [3]

A
  • Technical regulations/ conformity assessment procedures for protecting human safety and health
  • Promote fair trade
  • Avoid deceptive practices
47
Q

What are the three general categories of Codex Committees?

A
  • Commodity
  • Horizontal
  • Regional
48
Q

What is a commodity committee?

A

For example, the fats and oils committee

49
Q

What are horizontal committees?

A
  • Dealing with issues applicable across a range of commodities, e.g., labelling; food additives; contaminants
50
Q

What are regional committees?

A
  • The six Codex regions, e.g., Europe; Africa; Asia; Latin America; Caribbean; Near East; North America; Southwest Pacific
51
Q

What are the responsibilities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission? [4]

A
  • Initiating and guiding the preparation of draft standards
    • working with international governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
  • Finalizing standards once accepted by governments
  • Publishing standards in a Codex
    Alimentarius
    • as regional or worldwide standards
  • Amending published standards if required
52
Q

Codex standards are developed through […], which rely on […] for their agreement.

A

Codex standards are developed through a formal procedure consisting of eight steps, which rely on consensus for their agreement.

53
Q

What happens in the Codex Standards Process if consensus can’t be reached?

A

Then voting is called - this is avoided if possible (Member countries can vote; observer organizations have no vote).

54
Q

Agreement standards are […], and the implementation by member countries is […].

A

Agreement standards are voluntary, and the implementation by member countries is not necessarily automatic.

55
Q

Describe step 1 and 2 of the Codex Standards Process.

A

Step 1: The Commission approves a new standard for debate and assigns the work to a Committee. A decision to elaborate a Standard may also be taken by a Committee.

Step 2: The Codex Secretariat arranges the preparation of a Proposed Draft Standard.

56
Q

Describe steps 3 to 8 of the Codex Standards process.

A

Step 3: The Proposed Draft Standard is sent to governments and international organizations for comment.

Step 4: The Secretariat forwards comments to the Committee.

Step 5: The Proposed Draft Standard is then sent to the Commission through the Secretariat for adoption as a Draft Standard.

Step 6: The Draft Standard is then sent back to governments and
international organizations for comment.

Step 7: The Secretariat forwards comments to the Committee.

Step 8: The Draft Standard is returned to the Commission for adoption as a Codex Standard to be sent to governments for final acceptance.

57
Q

Step 1 of the Codex Standards Process.

A
  • The Commission approves a new standard for debate and assigns the work to a Committee.
  • A decision to elaborate a Standard may also be taken by a Committee.
58
Q

Step 2 of the Codex Standards process.

A

The Codex Secretariat arranges the preparation of a Proposed Draft
Standard.

59
Q

Step 3 of the Codex Standards Process.

A

The Proposed Draft Standard is sent to governments and international
organizations for comment.

60
Q

Step 4 of the Codex Standards process.

A

The Secretariat forwards comments to the Committee.

61
Q

Step 5 of the Codex Standards process.

A

The Proposed Draft Standard is then sent to the Commission through
the Secretariat for adoption as a Draft Standard.

62
Q

Step 6 of the Codex Standards process

A

The Draft Standard is then sent back to governments and international organizations for comment.

63
Q

Step 7 of the Codex Standards process.

A

The Secretariat forwards comments to the Committee.

64
Q

Step 8 of the Codex Standards process.

A

The Draft Standard is returned to the Commission for adoption as a
Codex Standard to be sent to governments for final acceptance.

65
Q
  • The Commission approves a new standard for debate and assigns the work to a Committee.
  • A decision to elaborate a Standard may also be taken by a Committee.
A

Step 1 of the Codex Standards Process.

66
Q

The Codex Secretariat arranges the preparation of a Proposed Draft
Standard.

A

Step 2 of the Codex Standards process.

67
Q

The Proposed Draft Standard is sent to governments and international
organizations for comment.

A

Step 3 of the Codex Standards Process.

68
Q

The Secretariat forwards comments to the Committee.

A

Step 4 of the Codex Standards process.

69
Q

The Proposed Draft Standard is then sent to the Commission through
the Secretariat for adoption as a Draft Standard.

A

Step 5 of the Codex Standards process.

70
Q

The Draft Standard is then sent back to governments and international organizations for comment.

A

Step 6 of the Codex Standards process

71
Q

The Secretariat forwards comments to the Committee.

A

Step 7 of the Codex Standards process.

72
Q

The Draft Standard is returned to the Commission for adoption as a
Codex Standard to be sent to governments for final acceptance.

A

Step 8 of the Codex Standards process.

73
Q

“Food and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic
modification/genetic engineering” means:

Codex

A
  • food and food ingredients composed of or containing genetically modified/engineered organisms obtained through modern biotechnology
  • food and food ingredients produced from, but not containing genetically modified/engineered organisms (DNA or protein) obtained through modern biotechnology
74
Q

“Genetically modified/engineered
organism” means:

A

An organism in which the genetic material has been changed through modern biotechnology in a way that does not occur naturally by multiplication or natural recombination.

75
Q

“Modern biotechnology” means the
application of: [2]

A

a) in vitro nucleic acid techniques, including recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the direct injection of nucleic acid into
cells or organelles, or

b) fusion of cells beyond the taxonomic family that overcome natural physiological, reproductive, or recombination barriers and that are not techniques used in traditional
breeding and selection.

76
Q

What are the implications of the Codex Standards for GM foods? [4]

A
  • There is no agreement on the food labelling of GM foods between international governments
    • Countries may develop their own regulations
  • Codex has developed guidelines to assess GM food safety
    • Countries are free to adopt these principles within their own GM food policy
  • Luck of international agreement will influence WTO trade disputes
    • Producers who export GM foods from a country with voluntary labelling (e.g., Canada) to countries that adopted mandatory labelling (EU) cannot challenge (via WTO) those countries to restrain trade.
  • The Codex process is complex
    • It shows how ‘modern biotechnology’ is perceived by various countries
    • It also shows how a technical issue became a political debate of economic, cultural, and social importance
    • Shows how difficult it is to harmonize food standards and policy
77
Q
A

FOOD 528 (5 decks)

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