Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP)

The Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) was established following decisions made at the second Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC2) in 1964, to include a three-part “section” of the Codex Alimentarius, on General Principles, to include:

• a statement of the purpose and scope of the ‘Codex’ and the nature and type of standards to be included, accompanied by exact definitions
• rules of procedure as amended from time to time
• general principles governing food legislation, general provisions and necessary definitions
  

CCGP has been meeting since October 1965, under the responsibility of the Government of France.

The Committee’s terms of reference have changed over time, and it is now responsible for overseeing the way in which Codex works. It keeps the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual under constant review and endorses relevant procedural provisions and texts forwarded by other subsidiary bodies. CCGP must also ensure that Codex procedures are formulated in line with the Codex core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, transparency and consensus.