CONSUMER PARTICIPATION IN THE WORK OF CODEX AND RELATED MATTERS (Agenda Item 8)[23]

52. The 23^rd Session of the Commission considered consumers’ involvement in Codex work and agreed to consider the development of a checklist of measurable objectives to assess consumer participation in Codex work at the national and international levels and asked the Committee on General Principles to review the proposal.

53. The Commission also proposed that Regional Coordinating Committees should continue to take the opportunity to provide a forum for the exchange of experiences on the ways and means of developing consumer input into national Codex committees and Contact Points.[24]

54. The 15^th Session of the Committee on General Principles considered the recommendations of the Commission concerning Measurable Objectives to Assess Consumer Participation in Codex. The CCGP welcomed the progress made in addressing the question of increasing consumer participation in Codex work, both in the Commission and at the national and regional levels, and agreed that the names be included of countries that have established a national Codex committee or Contact Point or held open consultations with consumers when developing national positions for Codex meetings. It was also agreed to include information on the action of governments to support the establishment and activities of consumer NGOs. On that basis the Draft Guidance was endorsed by the Committee as being appropriate for the development of a baseline set of data and for consideration by the Regional Coordinating Committees when discussing the standing item on consumer participation in the countries of the various regions. The Committee called upon the Secretariat to begin the development of a set of baseline data as soon as possible. It was recommended that a report should be made to the Commission every two years[25].

55. Circular Letter (CL 2000/34 NASWP) invited member countries of the Region to provide information on the “measurable objectives” and generally about consumer participation in the work of Codex and related matters.

56. The representative of Consumers International (CI) welcomed the discussion on consumer participation in the work of Codex, and noted that the 16^th World Congress of Consumers International met in November 2000 in Durban, South Africa. The theme of the Congress was “Consumers, Social Justice and the World Market.” Three activities relating to Codex were conducted at the Congress:

• A session on consumer participation in Codex was held in which a representative of the Codex Secretariat as well as CI members from both developing and developed countries made presentations.

• A mid-term review of the CI programme to increase the participation of consumers in the setting of food standards was discussed and future directions for the programme considered. This was a global programme which particularly focused on consumers in developing countries and economies in transition. An independent mid-term evaluation of the programme had been carried out and the results were presented and discussed. CI was now considering proposals to continue this work and would welcome the input of FAO and WHO and governments in this effort.

• A series of resolutions were adopted by the CI membership, including resolutions directed to CI and its members, governments, the Codex Alimentarius Commission and FAO/WHO. It was resolved that CI and its members should increase their involvement in the Codex Alimentarius, and should seek to ensure that all standards bodies operated in a transparent manner and developed standards by a clearly understood consensus process involving consumers. It was also resolved that CI and its members encourage governments, FAO and WHO, the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other standards organizations as appropriate to:
  • set up and/or support national Codex committees with active consumer participation;

  • increase public awareness and understanding of the Codex standard setting process;

  • ensure democratic and transparent processes in standards making and the full participation of all countries; and,

  • ensure adequate representation of consumer interests and provide funds to enable consumer organizations to participate in appropriate standards work including relevant national, sub-regional and regional workshops, seminars, and meetings

57. In addition, in preparation for the current Codex meeting, an informal survey was sent out to CI members in the CCNASWP region involved in Codex work which related to measurable objectives on consumer participation in Codex. Responses were obtained from CI members in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, US, Samoa, and Fiji. For the most part the responses from CI members in developed countries indicated a positive picture regarding consumer participation in Codex. In the developing countries in the region, the responses were more problematic, indicating that national Codex committees, if they existed at all, were not meeting and/or were not active. CI members from developing countries in the region reported that public consultations were not being held, and that they had never participated in developing national positions for Codex meetings. In this regard, the CCNASWP noted responses to the measurable objectives contained in CX/NASWP 00/8, CX/008-Add 1 and CRD 7 indicated that of the seven member countries present at the meeting:

• all had an identified Codex Contact Point;

• all had a national Codex committee or comparable structure or were in the process of establishing an NCC, with the exception of Papua New Guinea;

• public consultations were held in each of the four developed countries with the Region;

• independent NGOs were involved to some extent in national Codex processes, with the exception of Papua New Guinea; and

• the number of consumer NGOs participating in Codex processes at national level varied between countries.

58. The representative of CI requested Codex member governments and national Codex committees (NCC) to include one consumers' representative in the national Codex committee and to cover all expenses related to that participation. Even in developed countries the lack of funding to fully participate in NCC’s was the main impediment to consumer participation. Another survey respondent noted that one of the biggest problems was a lack of detailed knowledge to make an effective contribution. To address this issue the representative of CI requested that FAO, WHO and member governments assist in training of consumer leaders on Codex issues and in the application and monitoring of the use of Codex standards at the national level, particularly in the developing countries in this region.

59. The Committee welcomed this information and the future provision of additional information on the resolutions adopted by Consumers International at its 16^th World Congress. The Committee noted that one of the difficulties in obtaining funding for consumer participation in Codex activities was the difficulty in identifying criteria for the selection of truly representative consumer bodies from a wide variety of public interest organizations. The representative of Consumers International indicated that criteria that Consumers International used to determine membership eligibility might be helpful in this regard. The Committee also noted that consumers had a high level of confidence in the Codex process and that transparency and communication was necessary for all participants in Codex activities. In view of the fact that the term “national Codex committees” was not one that was currently defined in the Codex Alimentarius Procedural Manual, the Committee noted a need for further clarification of the “national Codex committee” concept.

60. In response to information from the representative of Consumers International that few invitations had been received by consumer organizations, the Committee agreed to inform the Commission of its view regarding the importance of the Commission’s recommendation at its 23^rd Session that “FAO, WHO and national governments invite consumer organizations to participate in national, sub-regional or regional workshops and seminars relevant to Codex matters”.[26]

61. The Committee agreed to forward the above discussion for information to the 24^th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.