Codex Committee Research Articles

Scientific support for preparing an EU position in the 55th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR).

The European Commission asked EFSA to provide support in the framework of Article 43 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 for the preparation of the EU position for 55th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). In the current report, EFSA provided comments and recommendations on the Codex maximum residue level (MRL) proposals derived by the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) that will be discussed in the upcoming CCPR meeting. The current report should serve as the basis for deriving the EU position for the CCPR meeting.

IV. Depositum/παρακαταθήκη und Vertrag zugunsten Dritter. Zu D. 32,37,5–6 (Scaev. 18 dig.) und C. 3,42,8 (Diocl.; a. 293)

Summary D. 32,37,5 contains a testamentary disposition in Greek in which the testator refers to a deposit of 15.000 denarii. It was agreed that the testator (depositee) should pay the sum of money received from the depositor, together with interest, to a third party upon coming of age. The article seeks to show that the testator and the other persons involved are Romans and that the beneficiary third party received a fideicommissum. The fragment has nothing to do with a contract in favour of a third party. D. 32,37,6 is about the attempt of a Roman woman to circumvent the lack of testamenti factio of a beneficiary by renaming a testamentary donation. There is no substantive connection between § 5 and § 6. The rescript of the chancery of Diocletian in C. 3,42,8 (a. 293) cannot serve as evidence for the admission of a contract in favour of a third party. It was changed by the second Codex commission, as the reproduction of the version in the Codex Iustinianus’ 1st ed. in the index of Thalelaios shows. The actio utilis granted to the third at the end is an addition of the second Codex commission. In its original content, the constitution, in accordance with the principles of Roman law, did not grant the third party an action arising from an agreement in his favour.

A recipe for safer food: The theory of change underpinning risk analysis in the context of the Codex Alimentarius

Food safety has benefited from systematic approaches to assess and control risks. The paradigm of risk analysis calls for the components of risk assessment and risk management to be bridged and complemented with risk communication, yet still be separate activities. In practical terms, risk assessment and risk management are, in fact, heavily interdependent upon one another. Collectively, risk assessments, risk management and risk communications are tools or processes that deliver specific outputs. For food safety enhancement, these outputs must be translated into outcomes to yield the desired impacts—improved food safety, human health, and livelihoods. The purpose of this paper to illustrate, using the example of listeriosis, how steps in the risk analysis process used by the Codex Alimentarius Commission's, Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), of the and the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) align with the various components of the theory change, ultimately leading to impacts on food safety, enhanced health and livelihoods on the global scale.

Impact of TBT on Marine Products Exports from Kerala in a Benefits and Foibles Settings Based on Primary Data Inferences

Seafood trade is a major item in the global trade of all products. The GATT has been replaced with the WTO for minimizing trade restrictions, but the irony is that in the ambit of WTO newer trade rules have been introduced in the form of TBT and other quality standards. Though it is possible for the Codex committee to introduce new guidelines and rules connected with trade. But the developed countries might change these stipulation as per their self-interest. The study is based on primary data collected from 30 processing-cum-export firms in the three districts of Kerala by using appropriate statistical techniques to endorse the benefits and foibles of the study. The EU approval has helped the firms to minimize rejections citing the implementation of the TBT standards by the importers. There were several factors that had led to these changes, apart from simple demand-supply dynamics and competitiveness. The impact of TBT on seafood exports of Kerala pointed towards strongness of its influence, particularly generating market diversification as its primary consequence of TBT stipulations. Market diversification, though is seemed a temporary solution, value addition and high unit value realisation are inevitable coping up mechanisms with a view to reducing the present high TBT impact index.

Scientific support for preparing an EU position in the 54th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR).

The European Commission asked EFSA to provide support in the framework of Article 43 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 for the preparation of the EU position for 54th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). In the current report, EFSA provided comments and recommendations on the Codex maximum residue level (MRL) proposals derived by the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) that will be discussed in the upcoming CCPR meeting. The current report should serve as the basis for deriving the EU position for the CCPR meeting.

Monitoring of Pesticide Contamnation of Selected Legume Crops Imported in UAE

Food contamination with pesticide residues is a serious concern. In United Arab Emirates, ministry of climate change and environment (MOCCAE) carries out incidence/level monitoring in order to acquire data on the presence and amounts of pesticide residues in particular commodity/chemical combinations. This monitoring aimed to provide the necessary information on quantitative and qualitative pesticide multiresidues in imported legume crops.
 Sampling plan of 2375 selected legume imported into the UAE has been examined as part of an official surveillance program, these samples include beans, peas, peanuts, lupine and lentils, they were collected from across United Arab Emirates (UAE) ports of entry during 2020 and 2021 by certified staff. These samples were analyzed by modified QuEChERS method for pesticide residue screening based on multi-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with gas and/or liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for monitoring more than 400 pesticides residues in these legume crops. The method used in this study was validated following the European Commission guidelines achieving good recovery values in the range 70–120% with relative standard deviation values lower than 20% and providing limits of quantification of the method in the low mg/kg range, in accordance with the maximum residue limits set by European policies and CODEX.
 The results showed that the majority (98.8%) of legume crops samples analyzed had compliance with the legislation in force in UAE and 29 samples (1.2%) contained residues above MRLs established by the Codex Committee on pesticide residues as well as by the European Union. This monitoring is a part of a surveillance study for pesticide control in food samples.
 Based on the results current monitoring program provide a valuable source of information for estimating dietary exposure of UAE consumers to pesticide residues, and to check compliance with the national maximum residue levels in legume samples.

Baby food industry interference with infant feeding international regulation-A case study on the standard for follow-up formula.

Globally, first-food systems have changed and breastfeeding has decreased due to the increased growth in commercial breast milk substitute (BMS) consumption, which includes both follow-up and toddler formulas. These products are manufactured by a small number of corporate leaders in international BMS sales. Discussions for global regulation of these products take place in the Codex Alimentarius and are permeated by the strong participation of these corporations in the Codex committees. In the present study, the participation of the baby food industry in the review of the follow-up formula standard in the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) was analyzed. The analysis of the CCNFSDU documents was based on the period from 2009 to 2019 and used quantitative and qualitative approaches. Compositional and participation data from country delegations and observer organizations on the representative profiles of the involved institutions and the baby food industry's involvement in this process were established systematically. In total, 134 out of the 189 Codex Alimentarius member countries engaged in the standard review process, of which 28% were involved in the entire process. The private sector was present in 81% of the most assiduous member state delegations to the meetings. Furthermore, ~60% of the observer organizations involved in the review process were business associations representing industry interests. Moreover, the International Special Dietary Foods Industries was the only business association with observer status in the CCNFSDU that was specifically dedicated to representing the baby food industryduring the review process. These research results expand the body of evidence confirming the expressive and disproportionate participation of baby food industries and their representatives in the discussion processes within the scope of the CCNFSDU. However, studies investigating the Codex and the public documents of its respective committees are limited. Thus, this was the first study to analyze the influence of the baby food industry on BMS global regulatory compliance.

Scientific support for preparing an EU position in the 53rd session of the codex committee on pesticide residues (CCPR)

Abstract EFSA received a request from the European Commission to provide support for the preparation of the EU position for 53rd Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). In 2021, JMPR evaluated 38 active substances with regard to their toxicological properties and/or the setting of Codex Maximum Residue Limits (CXLs) (acetamiprid, bixafen, clofentezine, clothianidin, cyprodinil, difenoconazole, ethion, ethiprole, fenbuconazole, fenhexamid, fenpicoxamide, fenpyroximate, fipronil, fluopyram, flutianil, imazalil, isoprothiolane, isoxaflutole, mandipropamid, mefentrifluconazole, metalaxyl, metalaxyl‐M, methoprene, methoxyfenozide, pendimethalin, prothioconazole, pydiflumetofen, pyrasulfotole, pyraziflumid, quinoxyfen, spinetoram, spiropidion, sulfoxaflor, tebuconazole, tetraniliprole, thiamethoxam, trifloxystrobin, trinexapac). EFSA prepared comments on the Codex MRL proposals and the proposed toxicological reference values. In addition, EFSA provided further considerations on follow‐up assessments of JMPR on pesticides for which specific concerns on the toxicological or residue assessments were raised in the previous CCPR meetings (afidopyropen, fluensulfone, metconazole, propiconazole). The current report should serve as the basis for deriving the EU position for the CCPR meeting.

Scientific statement on the maximum residue levels for potassium phosphonates.

The European Commission mandated EFSA to issue a scientific statement, in accordance with Article 31 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, providing an overview of the maximum residue levels for potassium phosphonates in different products. This statement should be based on the maximum residue levels recently proposed by EFSA in several Reasoned Opinions published between June 2021 and January 2022 and the maximum residue levels supported in preparation of an EU position at the 52nd Codex Committee on Pesticides Residues. EFSA prepared a scientific statement containing a summary of the maximum residue levels proposed, including a reference to the scientific output on which the recommendation for each product is based and a justification for the selected values when different ones were proposed by the different outputs. An updated consumer risk assessment, based on the consolidated list of MRLs for the enforcement of phosphonic acid residues, was calculated. No risk for consumers was identified.

Single and multi-laboratory validation of a droplet digital PCR method

The authorisation of genetically modified food and feed in the EU is subject to the provision of evidence of safety and of the availability of reliable analytical methods. These methods represent an essential tool for official laboratories to enforce a harmonised market control.Here the validation of droplet digital PCR (dPCR) methods has been performed for studying if the performance and acceptance parameters set by EU and other international guidelines for the analysis of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in food and feed are suitable and achievable also with such methods. The single-laboratory validation study showed that performance requirements set for GMO analysis by real time PCR can also be used to assess dPCR-based methods. Moreover, trueness and precision were assessed for both simplex and duplex formats in a multi-laboratory validation study organised according to international standards. Overall, the data on trueness, repeatability and reproducibility precision resulting from the collaborative study are satisfying the acceptance criteria for the respective parameters as stipulated in the EU and other international guidance such as the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS). For instance, the duplex droplet dPCR method for MON810 showed relative repeatability standard deviations from 1.8% to 15.7%, while the relative reproducibility standard deviation was found to be between 2.1% and 16.5% over the dynamic range studied. Moreover, the relative bias of the dPCR methods was well below 25% across the entire dynamic range.In addition, other aspects supporting the application of digital PCR for the control of GMOs on the market were experimentally assessed such as the conversion of the measurement results from copy number ratio to mass fraction, the influence of the DNA extraction step and of the ingredient content. It was found that the DNA extraction step added only a limited contribution to the variability of the measurement results under the studied conditions. The decreasing amount of the target ingredient content may decrease the level of precision of the method, although within the acceptance range of GMO performance parameters.

Food Color Additives and Health Interaction

Colorants, which have an important place in food additives, are defined by the International Food Codex Commission as "a substance that regulates the color of food or is added to give color". The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) affiliated with the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) formed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) as part of the United Nations (UN) organization, is an authority that makes suggestions and recommendations on all matters concerning the additives. Different opinions have emerged in studies evaluating food additives in terms of health risks involved. In various studies investigating colorants in foods, it has been reported that the permitted colorants are used in high amounts and also that non-permitted colorants are encountered. In various epidemiological studies, it is stated that colorants cause diseases such as asthma, hypersensitivity, skin rashes, premature childbirth, migraine, cancer, thyroid, tumor, and chromosome damage in humans.

Article: What is Codex, and Why is it Important?: The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses: Report November 2021.

Keywords advocacy, breastfeeding, Codex Alimentarius, follow-on formula, growing up milks, infant formula, International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, ready to use therapeutic foods, World Health Organization

The Challenge of Measuring Sweet Taste in Food Ingredients and Products for Regulatory Compliance: A Scientific Opinion.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a central part of the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organizations Food Standards Program, adopts internationally recognized standards, guidelines, and code of practices that help ensure safety, quality, and fairness of food trade globally. Although Codex standards are not regulations per se, regulatory authorities around the world may benchmark against these standards or introduce them into regulations within their countries. Recently, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) initiated a draft revision to the Codex standard for follow-up formula (FUF), a drink/product (with added nutrients) for young children, to include requirements for limiting or measuring the amount of sweet taste contributed by carbohydrates in a product. Stakeholders from multiple food and beverage manufacturers expressed concern about the subjectivity of sweetness and challenges with objective measurement for verifying regulatory compliance. It is a requirement that Codex standards include a reference to a suitable method of analysis for verifying compliance with the standard. In response, AOAC INTERNATIONAL formed the Ad Hoc Expert Panel on Sweetness in November 2020 to review human perception of sweet taste, assess the landscape of internationally recognized analytical and sensory methods for measuring sweet taste in food ingredients and products, deliver recommendations to Codex regarding verification of sweet taste requirements for FUF, and develop a scientific opinion on measuring sweet taste in food and beverage products beyond FUF. Findings showed an abundance of official analytical methods for determining quantities of carbohydrates and other sweet-tasting molecules in food products and beverages, but no analytical methods capable of determining sweet taste. Furthermore, sweet taste can be determined by standard sensory analysis methods. However, it is impossible to define a sensory intensity reference value for sweetness, making them unfit to verify regulatory compliance for the purpose of international food trade. Based on these findings and recommendations, the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling agreed during its 41st session in May 2021 to inform CCNFSDU that there are no known validated methods to measure sweetness of carbohydrate sources; therefore, no way to determine compliance for such a requirement for FUF.

Advocacy at Work During the Codex Committee on Food Labelling Meeting.

Advocacy at Work During the Codex Committee on Food Labelling Meeting.

The Politics of Regulating Foods for Infants and Young Children: A Case Study on the Framing and Contestation of Codex Standard-Setting Processes on Breast-Milk Substitutes.

Breastfeeding is important for the health and development of the child, and for maternal health, in all country contexts. However, global sales of breast-milk substitutes (BMS), including infant, follow-up and toddler formulas, have 'boomed' in recent decades. This raises the importance of international food standards established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) on the safety, composition and labelling of BMS. Such standards appear to be strongly contested by governments, industry and civil society groups, yet few studies have investigated the politics of Codex standard-setting processes. The aim of this paper is to understand who participates in decision-making, and how actors frame and contest proposals to revise the Codex Standard on Follow-up Formula (FUF). We adopted a case study design involving two steps. First, we enumerated government, industry, civil society, and international organization stakeholders participating in standard-setting processes of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU). Second, we conducted a framing analysis of stakeholder inputs during the FUF standard revision in CCNFSDU meetings. Publicly available online meeting reports (2015-2019) were retrieved, analyzed using a theoretical framework, and organized thematically. High-income country (HIC) delegates greatly outnumbered those from other country income categories. Industry representation was higher compared with other observer categories. Member state delegations included more industry representation than civil society representation, and were occasionally the only member state delegates. Industry stakeholders framed arguments in terms of trade implications, science, and flexible standards. Civil society groups used public health, science, and pro-breastfeeding frames. Codex BMS standard-setting procedures are dominated by HICs and industry groups. Limited representation of civil society, and of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), suggest actions are needed to substantially increase support for their involvement at Codex. Such representation may help to counteract power asymmetries and commercial influences on food standards for infants and young children.

Scientific support for preparing an EU position for the 52nd Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR)

In accordance with Article 43 of Regulation (EC) 396/2005, EFSA received a request from the European Commission to provide support for the preparation of the EU position for 52nd session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). In 2019, JMPR evaluated 20 active substances regarding the setting of toxicological reference values to be used in consumer risk assessment (acetochlor, boscalid, chlorothalonil, cyprodinil, dicamba, mesotrione, metaflumizone, thiabendazole, afidopyropen, buprofezin, clethodim, dimethoate, metconazole, omethoate, pyflubumide, pyridate, pyrifluquinazon, tolclofos‐methyl, triflumuron, valifenalate) and 47 active substance regarding the setting of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) (acetochlor, azoxystrobin, boscalid, chlorantraniliprole, chlorothalonil, cyantraniliprole, cyprodinil, dicamba, fenazaquin, flonicamid, flupyradifurone, fosetyl‐Al, glyphosate, mesotrione, metaflumizone, S‐methoprene, pendimethalin, spirotetramat, tebuconazole, thiabendazole, acetamiprid, afidopyropen, benzovindiflupyr, bifenthrin, buprofezin, carbendazim, clethodim, cyclaniliprole, cypermethrins, dimethoate, fluazifop‐p‐butyl, fluensulfone, kresoxim‐methyl, mandestrobin, metconazole, omethoate, penthiopyrad, picoxystrobin, pydiflumetofen, pyflubumide, pyrifluquinazon, pyriofenone, pyriproxyfen, tolclofos‐methyl, tolfenpyrad, triflumuron, valifenalate). EFSA prepared comments on the Codex MRL proposals and the proposed toxicological reference values. In addition, EFSA provided the views on follow‐up assessments of JMPR on pesticides where specific concerns were raised in the previous CCPR meetings. The current report should serve as the basis for deriving the EU position for the CCPR meeting.

Codex in Motion: Food Safety Standard Setting and Impacts on Developing Countries’ Agricultural Exports

SummaryThe Codex Alimentarius, or ‘food code’, was established to set international standards to ensure the safety and quality of food and agricultural products while at the same time creating a level playing field for international trade. However, less is known about the duration of the standards setting process in the Codex committees, and the extent to which trade is impacted when standards are delayed versus cases in which the adoption of standards was accelerated. This article reviews and evaluates three case studies in which Codex standards were rapidly adopted: Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) levels in cinnamon; melamine standards for milk and powder; and Codex guidance procedures in the case of melons. Two recent cases in which Codex standards have been held up are also considered: maximum levels of aflatoxins in ready‐to‐eat peanuts; and cadmium in chocolate. We find evidence that accelerated adoption of Codex standards is an important catalyst facilitating exports by some developing countries. Delays and non‐adoption of Codex standards, on the other hand, can lead to significant export underperformance in certain countries and regions. Thus, Codex members would do well to reflect on the positive trade flow benefits that can be realised among developing countries who depend on international standards for export earnings.

Phylogeny and Toxin Profile of Freshwater Pufferfish (Genus Pao) Collected from 2 Different Regions in Cambodia

The species classification of Cambodian freshwater pufferfish is incomplete and confusing, and scientific information on their toxicity and toxin profile is limited. In the present study, to accumulate information on the phylogeny and toxin profile of freshwater pufferfish, and to contribute to food safety in Cambodia, we conducted simultaneous genetic-based phylogenetic and toxin analyses using freshwater pufferfish individuals collected from Phnom Penh and Kratie (designated PNH and KTI, respectively). Phylogenetic analysis of partial sequences of three mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) determined for each fish revealed that PNH and KTI are different species in the genus Pao (designated Pao sp. A and Pao sp. B, respectively). A partial sequence of the nuclear tributyltin-binding protein type 2 (TBT-bp2) gene differentiated the species at the amino acid level. Instrumental analysis of the toxin profile revealed that both Pao sp. A and Pao sp. B possess saxitoxins (STXs), comprising STX as the main component. In Pao sp. A, the toxin concentration in each tissue was extremely high, far exceeding the regulatory limit for STXs set by the Codex Committee, whereas in Pao sp. B, only the skin contained high toxin concentrations. The difference in the STX accumulation ability between the two species with different TBT-bp2 sequences suggests that TBT-bp2 is involved in STX accumulation in freshwater pufferfish.

Alcohol Labelling in the Global Food System: Implications of Recent Work in the Codex Committee on Food Labelling

Occupying the dual space of psychoactive substances and food, alcohol has to date escaped the international labelling standards required of either category. Following growing consumer concern focused on ingredient and energy labelling, the issue of alcohol labelling has been brought to the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL). Russia led the development of a discussion paper on the labelling of alcohol beverages, which was debated in May 2019. The discussion paper presented five policy options, ranging from doing nothing to initiating open-ended work on a new Codex standard. The progression of alcohol labelling through the CCFL raises a number of issues for public health advocates, as placing alcohol within the scope of the Codex clearly places labelling within the food system and has the potential to side-line health labelling concerns. This paper will first describe the process leading to the consideration of alcohol labelling at the CCFL and then consider the health and advocacy implications of the different options proposed to progress the work plan.

Current Knowledge on Interspecific Hybrid Palm Oils as Food and Food Ingredient.

The consumers’ opinion concerning conventional palm (Elaeis guineensis) oil is negatively affected by environmental and nutritional issues. However, oils extracted from drupes of interspecific hybrids Elaeis oleifera × E. guineensis are getting more and more interest, due to their chemical and nutritional properties. Unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic) are the most abundant constituents (60%–80% of total fatty acids) of hybrid palm oil (HPO) and are mainly acylated in position sn-2 of the glycerol backbone. Carotenes and tocotrienols are the most interesting components of the unsaponifiable matter, even if their amount in crude oils varies greatly. The Codex Committee on Fats and Oils recently provided HPO the “dignity” of codified fat substance for human consumption and defined the physical and chemical parameters for genuine crude oils. However, only few researches have been conducted to date on the functional and technological properties of HPO, thus limiting its utilization in food industry. Recent studies on the nutritional effects of HPO softened the initial enthusiasm about the “tropical equivalent of olive oil”, suggesting that the overconsumption of HPO in the most-consumed processed foods should be carefully monitored.