Food hygiene

According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission Procedural Manual, “food hygiene comprises conditions and measures necessary for the production, processing, storage, and distribution of food designed to ensure a safe, sound, wholesome product fit for human consumption.”

This is a fundamental area of food safety that is directly relevant to every single person in the food chain, including consumers.

The Codex Alimentarius and food hygiene

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has adopted nearly 30 different codes or guidelines that relate to hygienic practice for different foods or different food production settings. However all of these are linked to the General principles of food hygiene (CXC 1-1969), the fundamental text in the Codex Alimentarius and the one that is used most by governments, food business operators and other stakeholders in the food chain. This text has evolved over the years since its initial adoption, in line with new information and updated knowledge.

This text provides good hygiene practices (GHPs) as well as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management system that is familiar to consumers worldwide.

The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) leads work in this area and also coordinates with related commodity or coordinating committees on hygiene matters.

GHP & HACCP

Access FAO's Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and HACCP Toolbox for Food Safety

Five keys

Find out about WHO's Five keys to safer food

Key facts

According to WHO's 2026 data on the estimates of the global burden of foodborne disease, non-typhoidal Salmonella cause more burden than any other microbiological hazard. Campylobacter causes the greatest number of cases of foodborne disease.

Food hygiene cuts across many Codex-related topics, including food allergen labelling. Codex guidance on precautionary allergen labelling recommends strict adherence to the food hygiene practices outlined in the Code of practice on allergen management for food business operators (CXC 80-2020).

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