Codex Trust Fund
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), created in 1962 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), sets food standards to protect the health of consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade.
Food safety and food standards are critical global issues - illness due to contaminated food is a widespread problem in the world, and is also an important cause of reduced economic productivity. Codex standards have significant implications for both health and food trade, and thereby also for development.
The CAC currently has 185 Members. However, it is recognized that developing countries (particularly the least developed countries) and countries with economies in transition have not fully participated in the work of the CAC or in the setting of food safety standards in general. It is likely that the primary reason for this has been budgetary constraints at the national level.
The Codex Trust Fund was launched on 14 February 2003 by Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of WHO, and Dr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of FAO, at a ceremony organized during the 25th (extraordinary) session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Goals & Objectives
The goal of the Codex Trust Fund is to further the improvement of global public health and food security by promoting the provision of safer and more nutritious food and contributing to a reduction in foodborne disease.
The Fund's main objective is to help developing countries and those with economies in transition to enhance their level of effective participation in the development of global food safety and quality standards by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.