Enhancing participation in Codex activities

Unit 2
Understanding the organization of Codex

Lesson 1
How Codex is organized

Learner’s Notes

© FAO, 2008
 ENHANCING PARTICIPATION IN CODEX ACTIVITIES
Lesson 2.1 How Codex is organized - Learner’s Notes

Summary
Learning Objectives...........................................................................................1

Introduction......................................................................................................1

Organizational Structure....................................................................................1

The Commission...............................................................................................2

The Executive Committee..................................................................................2

The Secretariat.................................................................................................5

Subsidiary Bodies..............................................................................................5

1) General Subject Committees.....................................................................6

2) Commodity Committees............................................................................7
3) FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees..........................................................9
4) Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces....................................................10
Prioritizing Subsidiary Bodies to attend.............................................................11

Determining Subsidiary Bodies.........................................................................12

Summary........................................................................................................13

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 ENHANCING PARTICIPATION IN CODEX ACTIVITIES
Lesson 2.1 How Codex is organized - Learner’s Notes

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• describe the main organizational elements of the Codex Alimentarius Commission;

• identify the four types of Codex subsidiary bodies;
• identify the Committees which fall into each type; and
• define the criteria to be considered when identifying Codex Committees of most
significance to a country.

Introduction
Understanding how Codex is organized is very important in order to identify where to focus
country’s activities and to make best use of resources.

This lesson illustrates how the Codex Alimentarius Commission is structured and the roles of the
various components within the structure.

This will enable those responsible for the coordination of national Codex activities to know
where to focus their activities and make best use of limited resources.

This will also enhance the effectiveness of national activities, and subsequently contribute to
increased potential that international standards will reflect the country’s concerns.

Organizational Structure
The Codex Alimentarius Commission consists of the following main organizational elements:

• Commission;
• Executive Committee;
• Codex Secretariat;
• Codex subsidiary bodies.

With the exception of the Codex Secretariat, all these elements are made up of Codex

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Lesson 2.1 How Codex is organized - Learner’s Notes

Members (i.e. national delegations and representatives of “observers”), endeavouring to reflect

stakeholder views as appropriate.

The Commission
The Commission is the decision-making body of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards
Programme.

The Commission (CAC) consists of member governments, as well as a number of international

government and non-government organizations which have official observer status with the
Commission.

Members of the Commission

A complete alphabetical list of members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission can be found
on-line at: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/members.jsp?lang=EN.

Currently, a listing of official observer organizations is not published on the Codex

Alimentarius Commission’s website; however, it does contain a search function to determine if
a particular organization has official observer status. It is found at:
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/organizations.jsp?lang=EN.

At the Twenty-Sixth Session, the Commission it was agreed that each session would decide on
the timing of the next CAC.

The Commission presently meets annually, with meetings alternating between Rome where
FAO Headquarters is located, and Geneva where WHO Headquarters is located.

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of the Commission (CCEXEC) acts as the executive organ of the
Commission.

It is the body responsible for managing the standards development process, developing the
draft strategic plan, reviewing applications for observer status and making other
recommendations about the general direction of the Commission’s work.

The Commission elects executive officers for a period commencing at the end of the session in
which they were elected until the end of the following regular session.

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Those elected officials include a chairperson and three vice-chairpersons elected among the
delegates of the Members of the Commission. These officers also serve as the chairperson and
vice-chairpersons of the Executive Committee.

The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairpersons can be re-elected to serve up to a maximum of 3-4
years, regardless of the frequency of the session (annual or bi-annual) provided that the second
term does not exceed a period of two years.

The Executive Committee meets between Commission sessions.

The Executive Committee is geographically balanced, with one member country elected from
each of the following seven geographic regions:
1. Africa;
2. Asia;
3. Europe;
4. Latin America and the Caribbean;
5. Near East;
6. North America
7. The Southwest Pacific.

Members elected on a geographic basis are expected to act within the Executive Committee in
the interest of the Commission as a whole.
Member Country

Each Member elected on a geographic basis may be accompanied by not more than two
advisers from the region. However, these advisers do not address the sessions of the
Executive Committee.

Members elected on a geographic basis hold office from the end of the session at which they
were elected until the end of the second succeeding regular session and are eligible for re-
election if they have not served for more than two years in their current term, but after
having served two consecutive terms are ineligible to hold such office for the next succeeding
term.

Observer organizations are not permitted to participate in the Executive Committee.

The Regional Coordinators for the six regions (the regions of North America and of the South-
West Pacific are combined into one Regional Coordinating Committee) are also Members of the
Executive Committee.

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Regional Coordinators

The role of the regional coordinators is to coordinate the views of the region in the
preparation of draft standards, guidelines and other recommendations for submission to the
Commission. They also assist the Executive Committee and the Commission as required, by
advising them of the views of their region on matters under discussion or of interest.

In principle, Coordinators are nominated at each session of the relevant Coordinating

Committee and appointed at the following regular session of the Commission. They hold
office from the end of this session.

Coordinators may be re-appointed for a second term. The Commission shall make such
arrangements as may be necessary in order to ensure continuity in the functions of the
Coordinators.

In other words, when appointed, the duration of the term would depend on the needs of the
region. In some regions the tendency is to have the office rotate every two years, in other
regions every four years.

The Executive Committee is chaired by the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The total membership of the Codex Executive Committee is 17.

The Secretariat
The Codex Secretariat assists the CAC in the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food
Standards Programme, reporting to the Director-Generals of FAO and WHO.
The Codex Secretariat is located at FAO headquarters in Rome.

Codex Secretariat

The Secretary coordinates the work of the Secretariat.

The Secretariat organizes the meetings of the Commission and the Executive Committee, and
facilitates the work of the subsidiary bodies in conjunction with the secretariats established by
the host countries of Codex Committees. This includes:

• compiling the documents required for the discussion of agenda items;

• supervising preparatory work (e.g. working papers) done by others;
•
preparing and finalizing all meeting reports of the CAC and its subsidiary bodies;
• publishing the Codex Alimentarius; and
•
representing the Commission in the meetings of other international organizations.

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Subsidiary Bodies
Under its Rules of Procedure, the Commission is empowered to establish four kinds of
subsidiary bodies:

1. General Subject Committees (sometimes referred to as horizontal), which establish

standards and guidelines applicable to all foods;

2. Commodity Committees (sometimes known as vertical), which prepare standards for

specific commodities;

3. FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees, through which regions or groups of countries

coordinate food standards activities in the region, including the development of regional
standards;

4. Ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces, which are time-limited and prepare standards and
guidelines on specific issues.

A feature of the committee system is that, with few exceptions, each committee is hosted by a
member country, which is chiefly responsible for the cost of the committee’s maintenance and
administration, the provision of a chairperson and a host country Secretariat.

Committees hosted by a member country

Hosting a committee places a considerable burden on the budget of the host country, and
therefore only countries with sufficient resources are in a position to offer to host a
committee.

It should be noted however that host countries are encouraged to hold their committee in
developing countries from time to time.

Examples include:

• Thirty-fifth Session (March 2003) of CCFAC held in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania;
• Thirty-third Session (May 2005) of the CCFL held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

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1) General Subject Committees

General subject committees are so called because their work has relevance for all foods and,
since this work applies to all foods, they are sometimes referred to as “horizontal committees”.

There are ten such committees:

1. Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
2. Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF)
3. Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)
4. Codex Committee on Food Import & Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS)
5. Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL)
6. Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP)
7. Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)
8. Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU)
9. Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR)
10. Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF)

See Annex: General Subject Committees (GeneralSubjectCommitees.pdf)

Among other issues, the general subject committees have the following functions:

• develop all-embracing concepts and principles applying to foods in general, specific foods or
groups of foods;

•
endorse or review relevant provisions in Codex commodity standards; and

•
based on the advice of expert scientific bodies, develop major recommendations pertaining to
the health and safety of consumers.

The CCGP is responsible for dealing with procedural and general matters of the Commission.

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2) Commodity Committees

Commodity committees have responsibility for developing standards for specific foods or classes
of food.
In order to distinguish them from the “horizontal” committees and recognize their exclusive
responsibilities, they are often referred to as “vertical” committees.

There are 11 such committees, of which six have been adjourned sine die, i.e. placed into
recess:

1. Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO)

2. Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP)
3. Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV)
4. Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP)
5. Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV)
6. Codex Committee on Cereals, Pulses and Legumes (CCCPL)
7. Committee on Cocoa Products and Chocolate (CCCPC)
8. Committee on Natural Mineral Waters (CCNMW)
9. Committee on Sugars (CCS)
10. Committee on Vegetable Proteins (CCVP)
11. Committee on Meat Hygiene (CCMH)

See Annex: Commodity Committees (CommodityCommitees.pdf)

Committees adjourned Sine die

Committees are adjourned sine die when work is accomplished and no other work is foreseen
in the near future. If, and when Codex members identify new work, the Committee may be
reactivated. A host country maintains the commitment for adjourned committees.

An example is the Codex Committee on Meat Hygiene which was established in 1971 with the
mandate to elaborate world wide standards and/or codes of practices for meat hygiene. In its
first round of meetings (1972-1974), the Committee elaborated a Code of Hygienic Practice
for Fresh Meat.

The Committee reconvened in 1981, and worked until 1985, to work on a Code of Practice for
Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Judgement of Slaughter Animals and Meat , and the Code of

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Hygienic Practice for Game. Subsequently, CCMH was once again reconvened in 1989 to
revise the four Codes previously adopted and was adjourned sine die in 1993, having
completed its task. The current round of CCMH was re-convened in 2000 to re-draft the
existing codes on meat hygiene so they reflect contemporary developments.

It should be noted that on occasion sine die committees can undertake specific work by
correspondence and advance some work of consensual nature. One example is the current
review by the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters of the Codex Standard for Natural
Mineral Waters (CODEX STAN 108-1981) in light of the last edition of the Guidelines for
Drinking-water Quality, Third Edition, Volume1, Recommendations, WHO, Geneva, 2004).

Commodity committees convene as necessary and go into recess or are abolished when the
Commission decides their work has been completed.

Meetings of Codex subsidiary bodies are held at intervals of between one and two years,
according to need.

3) FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees

Unlike the general and commodity committees, Coordinating committees have no standing host
countries. These committees are hosted by one of the member countries in each region having
been elected as regional coordinator. The meetings are held in the country of the coordinator or
in cooperation with the coordinator in another country of the region.

There are six coordinating committees, i.e. one each for the following regions:

1. Africa (CCAFRICA);
2. Asia (CCASIA);
3. Europe (CCEURO);
4. Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC);
5. Near East (CCNEA); and
6. North America the Southwest Pacific (CCNASWP).

See Annex:
Terms of reference for the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees (TOR-CC.pdf)

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The host country for a Regional Coordinating Committee tends to rotate amongst the members
of the region. Host countries should have the capacity to provide logistic and administrative
support necessary when organizing an international meeting.
Some countries, especially developed countries, that undertake to become the Regional
Coordinator, may be expected to pay part or all costs associated with hosting the meeting.
Regional Coordinating Committee

Coordinating Committees play an invaluable role in:

• ensuring that the work of the Commission is responsible to regional interests and to the
concerns of developing countries; and
•
monitoring of the use/non use of Codex standards and related texts at the national and
regional level.

They normally meet at two-year intervals, with a good representation from the countries of
their respective regions.

Codex members can only belong to one region, however, countries outside the region can
attend a Coordinating Committee meeting as observers upon request. The country that chairs
the Coordinating Committee is also the Regional Coordinator for the region concerned –
attending the CCEXEC.

4) Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces

Ad hoc intergovernmental task forces are established with a specific mandate and for a limited
period of time, not normally exceeding four years.

As in the case of the horizontal and vertical committees, Codex task forces are hosted by a
member country.

Task forces are dissolved once their work has been completed, therefore the number of active
task forces will vary. It should be noted that a task force may be re-activated if additional work
is required.

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Information on committees and task forces is available on the Codex website at the URL:
www.codexalimentarius.net/web/committees.jsp
Why ad hoc task forces are created

In 1999, the Commission realized that its rather inflexible committee structure was not able
to cope with the demand for standards and guidelines across an ever-widening range of
subjects.

It decided to create a third type of subsidiary body call a Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental
Task Force, which is a Codex Committee with very limited terms of reference established for a
fixed period of time.

Examples of ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces are the following:

• Task Force on Animal Feeding, 1999–2004;

•
Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology, 1999–2003 and 2005–2009; and
• Task Force on Fruit and Vegetable Juices, 1999–2005.

Prioritizing Subsidiary Bodies to attend

How do a country decide which are the most important committees to be involved in?

Most developing countries and countries with small economies, indeed even some developed
countries, cannot afford the resources to participate in the work of all the Codex activities.

Therefore, each country should prioritize and focus its resources to ensure that it is involved in
discussing and developing standards of greatest national significance.
Deciding on national priorities is essential and the key to managing a successful national Codex
programme.

There might be a tendency by some countries to focus meager resources towards participating
at Commission meetings where texts are adopted. This may not be in the best interest of a
country, however, as the drafting and negotiating of the language of the text are undertaken
within committees and task forces.

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Determining Subsidiary Bodies

When determining where to focus their Codex resources countries need to take a number of
factors into consideration.

Questions to be answered include:

• What are the country’s significant food safety/health issues?
• What are the issues most relevant to the consumer?
• What are the primary agrifood export industries contributing to the country’s economy?
• What are the major agrifood imports?
• What are the agrifood priorities of most relevance to the domestic producers?
• Which Codex committees elaborate standards, guidelines or related texts pertaining to the
areas identified above?
• What resources (e.g. time, money, etc.) are available to commit to the Codex programme?

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Summary
The Codex Alimentarius Commission consists of four main organizational elements:

1. Codex Commission, is the decision-making body of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards
Programme.

2. Executive Committee, is the executive organ of the Commission, responsible for

managing the standards development process and for making recommendations about the
general direction of the Commission’s work.

3. Codex Secretariat, consists of the Secretary of the Commission appointed by the Directors-
General of FAO and WHO as well as other staff to assist the Secretary.

4. Subsidiary Bodies, which prepare and coordinate standards and guidelines. They are the
following: General Subject Committees, Commodity Committees, FAO/WHO Coordinating
Committees, Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces.

Each country should prioritize and focus its resources to ensure that it is involved in
discussing and developing standards of greatest national significance.

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