Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)

When FAO and WHO established the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), work on methods of analysis and sampling had already started under the European Council of the Codex Alimentarius. With a handful of other key issues, methods of analysis and sampling were listed as top priorities for the new body, since “in most cases agreement on a standard of composition is meaningless in practice without an agreed method of analysis.” Today, CCMAS continues to deal with methods of analysis and sampling, even though the two areas require different sets of experts. A 1987 proposal to split CCMAS into two separate committees was rejected. Initially hosted by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Committee came under the auspices of Hungary in 1971.

Coordination and collaboration are fundamental to CCMAS work. Not only does this Committee interact closely with other CAC subsidiary bodies, but its mandate is to serve as a coordinating body with other international organizations working on methods of analysis and sampling. Through the Inter-Agency Meeting (IAM), it works with a number of standards development organizations to identify relevant methods that can serve the international community.

While CCMAS ensures that stakeholders in the international food trade know how to test food for compliance with food standards and that authorities know how to test for enforcement of regulations, the Committee also ensures that agreed methods are not prohibitive for low-resourced nations trading in food.