General Principles
Codex Committee on General Principles (Host Government - France)
The Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) deals with rules, principles and procedures referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, particularly those which define the purpose and scope of Codex work and the nature of Codex standards. The committee also addresses economic impact statements.
Existing Codex standards
A number of standards relating to general principles* have now been endorsed and adopted into the international food code. They include standards on:
- Definition of Traceability/ Product Tracing
- Statements of Principle Relating to the Role of Food Safety Risk Assessment
- Statements of Principle Concerning the Role of Science in The Codex Decision Making Process and the extent to which other factors are taken into account
- Working Principles for Risk Analysis for Application in the Framework of the Codex Alimentarius
*This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards.
Outcomes of the 32nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The 32nd Commission adopted at Step 5 the Proposed Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International Trade in Foods. The Commission emphasized however that this meant that the general structure of the draft was well advanced and only specific proposals on the text should be made and no general debate on the scope be reopened. The Commission also emphasized the need to finalise this work within the next session of the CCGP.
Last meeting
The Committee met for its 25th Session in Paris, France, from 30 March–3 April 2009. At this meeting the Committee agreed to forward to the Commission:
- the Proposed Draft Revised Code of Ethics for International Trade in Foods at Step 5 with a recommendation to omit Steps 6 and 7 and to adopt them at Step 8
- the Proposed amendment to the Guidelines to Chairpersons of Codex Committees and Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces
- the Proposed Amendment to the Terms of Reference of the Committee on General Principles.
The Committee endorsed:
- the nutritional risk analysis principles provided by the CCNFSDU and recommended their adoption by the Commission
- two proposals (criteria approach: amendments and a new section and consequential amendment) from the Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling.
The Committee also agreed:
- to further debate on the length of reports and inclusion of names of delegations
- to reflect on the usefulness of having a study on introducing qualified majority voting on the adoption of standards, analysing advantages and disadvantages implied by such system
- that a number of actions related to the facilitation of consensus but remained divided on the need for a definition of consensus. The Commission is invited to advise the CCGP how to move forward on this issue
- to endorse the confirmation that the full freedom was given under the current Terms of Reference of FAO/WHO Coordinating Committees to issue regional opinions on all themes under discussion in Codex of strategic importance to the region concerned and to promote the adoption of regional positions on strategic subjects, and therefore there was no need to modify the Terms of Reference.
- the editorial inclusion of an information footnote to the fourth paragraph of the 'Statements of Principle Concerning the Role of Science in the Codex Decision-Making Process and the Extent to which Other Factors are Taken into Account' indicating that the acceptance procedure had been abolished in 2005.
Other matters of interest to the Commission:
- The Secretariat will prepare a draft review of risk analysis policies and distribute it through a Circular Letter asking for comments, in order to prepare a revised document for consideration by the next session of the Committee.
- The Committee agreed that the points made in the document on new definitions of risk analysis should be borne in mind in the ongoing and further work of the Commission as it relates to risk analysis, and also agreed that there was no need to continue work on this document.
- The Committee discussed the data provided by the secretariat on the participation of developing countries and the proposals to improve the situation to the Commission.
- The Committee agreed that the Codex Secretariat should approach the OIE Secretariat and prepare a discussion paper on the possible development of joint standards between Codex and OIE, addressing all relevant procedural and other issues, as well as implications, for consideration by its next session.
Next meeting
The 26th Session of the CCGP is will be held from 12-16 April, with the location to be confirmed.