Food import and export inspection and certification systems Fifth edition

Official and officially recognized inspection and certification systems are fundamentally important and very widely used means of food control systems.
The confidence of consumers in the safety and quality of their food supply depends in part on their perception as to the effectiveness of these systems as food control measures. A substantial part of the worldwide trade in food depends upon the use of inspection and certification systems. Following the FAO/WHO Conference on Food Standards, Chemicals in Food and Food Trade in 1991, the Codex Alimentarius Commission undertook the development of guidance documents for governments and other interested parties on food import and export inspection and certification systems. This fifth edition includes texts adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission up to 2011.

PREFACE iii
Principles for food import and export inspection and certification  (CAC/GL 20-1995) 1
Guidelines for food import control systems                (CAC/GL 47-2003) 6
Guidelines for design, operation, assessment and accreditation of food import and export inspection and certification systems (CAC/GL 26-1997) 24
Guidelines for development of equivalence agreements regarding food import and export inspection and certification systems (CAC/GL 34-1999) 49
Guidelines on the judgement of equivalence of sanitary measures associated with food inspection and certification systems (CAC/GL 53-2003) 59
Guidelines for design, production, issuance and use of generic official certificates (CAC/GL 38-2001) 76
Principles and guidelines for the exchange of information in food safety emergency situations (CAC/GL 19-1995) 94
Guidelines for the exchange of information between countries on rejections of imported food (CAC/GL 25-1997) 103
Principles for traceability/product tracing as a tool within a food inspection and certification system (CAC/GL 60-2006) 109