Codex Alimentarius

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the international body established in 1962 which administers the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Food Standards Programme. The purpose of the Programme is to protect the health of consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade; to promote coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations; to determine priorities and initiate and guide the preparation of draft standards; to finalize standards and after acceptance by governments publish them either as regional or world-wide standards.