The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is the unique United
Nations body resposible for establishing international food standards aimed at
protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food
trade. The food standards, codes of practice and other guidelines and
recommendations adopted by the Commision form the Codex Alimentarius: the
international food code. The Codex Alimentarius Commission envisages a world
afforded the highest attainable levels of consumer protection,
including food safety and quality. To this end, the Commission
develops internationally agreed standards and related texts for use in domestic
regulation and international trade in food that are based on scientific
principles and fulfil the objectives of consumer health protection and fair
practices in food trade. The Commission is an intergovernmental body that meets
every two years to adopt draft standards prepared by over 20 specialist
committees. The 24th Session of the Commission, held from 2 to 7 July 2001, was
attended by 574 participants representing 88 governments and 57 international
governmental and non-governmental organizations. This is the report of that
meeting, adopted by the Commission itself on its closing day. It includes a full
list of all participants and a list of all the standards and related texts
adopted by the Commission. It also includes the Strategic Framework that will
guide the international food standards setting process until 2007 and
beyond.
