CAC/GL 43R-2003 African Regional Guidelines for Codex Contact Points and National Codex Committees
1. INTRODUCTION
The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) Food Standards Programme responsible for formulating the standards, codes of practice, guidelines and recommendations that constitute the Codex Alimentarius. Its members consist of government members of the United Nations organization who subscribe to become its members.
Over the years, the Codex Alimentarius has become an important global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and all those involved in the international food trade. The code has had an enormous impact on the thinking of food producers and processors as well as on the awareness of the end users - the consumers. Its influence extends to every continent, and its contribution to the protection of public health and fair practices in the food trade is immeasurable.
The role of the Codex Alimentarius Commission has expanded with developments in food trade and the need for enhanced protection of public health. Codex standards and other related texts are now regarded as the international reference points by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and are also being adopted by many countries as minimum food standards. Several countries are now realising the need to participate actively in the activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to protect effectively the rights and interests of their consumers and their traders.
The activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission are immense since they need a critical balance of the interests of all stakeholders involved, namely the consumers, policy makers and those involved in the food trade industry. Codex activities at the national level are equally intricate as the varying interests of all stakeholders need to be taken on board even when the country's response to the Codex proposals has not been formulated yet.
