Press Releases and comments over the years
Letter from the Codex Chair and Vice Chairs about the Codex Strategic Plan for 2026-2031 – asks fundamental questions:
- How should the multilateral system for trade and standards respond to the challenge from the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit to “transform the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food”?
- What role might Codex play, as the multilateral standard setting body for food safety and fair practices in trade?
- If you were to create afresh the multilateral system for standards to protect human, animal and plant health, what would be the key organising principles?
- If Codex were to commit to delivering one thing in the period to 2031, what should that one thing be?
- Much has changed in 60 years since Codex was established, so we wonder, is it time we rethink Codex?
Codex: will ‘sustainability’ claims boost trade of harmful products?
After 10 years of struggle, Codex puts child health before trade at last
Thailand and Bangladesh urge WHO to take the lead in trade –
WHO 152nd Executive Board
Web streaming Link CAC45 papers Participants SUMMARY OF DECISIONS. Previous blohttps://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/36905
CAC45: RUTF Guidelines adopted but still no Zilpaterol conclusion
Rome, 21-25th November 2022
Weak global trading standards and the climate crisis – why Codex must step up
https://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/35279
Ensuring Strong safeguards on Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods. https://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/34951
Codex standards must have strong safeguards August 2022
Should Business NGOs sit on country delegations? Question to the Codex Secretariat during the CAC briefing 29th July 2022. HERE
Global trading standards must follow WHO in restricting harmful marketing 75th World Health Assembly, Geneva, 22-28th May, 2022
2021 Baby food industry lobbies to weaken Codex standards on sweetness and flavouring
2021 Danone and Croplife in evidence at Codex 2021
Greenwashing and the risks of Sustainability Labelling IBFAN Sustanability CCFL 22
CODEX: Exporting countries put trade before the health of the planet and children
Codex Commission (CAC44) meeting unable to reach Consensus on growth hormone
2016 Global standard–setting committee puts child health before trade 38th Codex Alimentarius Nutrition Committee, Hamburg, Germany. 7th December 2016 Codex PR 2016
2014 Trade vs health – global meeting fails to safeguard infant and young child health Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses Bali, Indonesia 24-28th November 2014 Codex-Bali-PR-2014.
2011 The Business of malnutrition: breaking down trade rules to profit from the poor
Codex Nutrition Meeting, Bad Soden, Frankfurt, Germany 12 -18th November 2011 Codex PR 2011
2006. EU and US block Thailand’s proposal to reduce sugar in baby foods FAO/WHO Codex Nutrition Committee (CCFSNDU) Chiang Mai, Thailand, 3rd November 2006. Codex PR 2006
Miscellanous Codex Reports, presentations and papers:
What you don’t know about the Codex can hurt you: how trade policy trumps global health governance in infant and young child nutrition. Russ K, Baker P, Byrd M, et al.Int. Journ. Health Policy and Management 2021; 10(12): 983-97.Baker et al. Globalization and Health (2021) 17:58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-021-00708-1
Here are some excerpts:
…The brief also describes parallel lobbying of the US government, the leader in some of these interventions, where the positions weigh the relative importance of the Codex Alimentarius versus World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations as international standards in World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee processes.
1. In response to questioning by New Zealand and the United States, Thailand notified the WTO in 2015 of its intention to adopt legal provisions for “Controlling the Marketing Promotion on Food for Infant and Young Children” in alignment with the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.
2. The United States and other countries interjected repeatedly at meetings of the World Trade Organization TBT Committee in 2016-2017 that Thailand’s proposed legislation deviated from Codex standards and that the WHO Code is not recognized as an international standard.
IBFAN Codex Report CCNFSDU Nov 2013
Codex setting standards for whom-Nov16.2022.ES Presentation by Elisabeth Sterken.
https://twitter.com/FAOWHOCodex/status/1644551138065412096?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email