Who we are

“Codex Alimentarius” is Latin and is usually translated as “Food code”. It is a collection of food safety and quality standards, guidelines and codes of practice, often referred to collectively as “Codex texts” or “Codex standards”.

Codex texts are adopted into the Codex Alimentarius by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). CAC has 189 Members, of which 188 are Member Countries, and one is a Member Organization (the European Union). Countries can become a member of CAC if they are a member of FAO or WHO.

CAC is chaired by elected officers who are: a Chairperson and three Vice-Chairpersons. The officers, according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual, “preside at meetings of the Commission and exercise such other function as may be required to facilitate the work of the Commission.”

There are also 243 observer organizations accredited to CAC.

Work to develop, or elaborate, Codex texts is carried out in Codex committees, some of which are commodity committees and some “general subject” committees. The work of these committees is informed by expert scientific advice provided by the FAO/WHO Food Safety Scientific Advice Programme.

The work of CAC and of Codex committees is administered by the Codex Alimentarius Secretariat, which is hosted by FAO in Rome.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission