Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS)

At the 19th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in 1991, the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) was established to deal with the quality and safety control of food in trade including, certification.

Food control had been an issue within Codex and for Members, especially developing countries, for at least twenty years before CCFICS was established. Since the 1960s, FAO and WHO programmes have been providing assistance to countries on national level food legislation, quality control, food inspections and certification “not only to provide consumer protection from health hazards and commercial fraud but also to generally assist in the development of the food industry and trade.” (CAC10)

Now, CCFICS provides instruments by which global food-trading countries can be informed about and harmonize food import/export systems worldwide, encouraging mutual confidence and reduced cross-boundary barriers within the food trade.