International/Regional Trade Standards

The Codex Alimentarius Commission under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme provides standards for food quality that protect the health of consumers, ensure fair food trade practices and promote coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Codex publishes official standards for various food products and maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides and veterinary drugs in food.

    The World Trade Organization (WTO, http://www.wto.org) through the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) lays out conditions for the application of sanitary measures for trade in animals and animal products between WTO member countries (Related information is available in the Pathogen Risk Analysis Section). Under the SPS Agreement, the Codex Alimentarius Commission is recognized as the international organization responsible for the development and promotion of international food standards. WTO member countries have a right to take measures to ensure that consumers are supplied with safe food, but they also have the obligation to ensure that their food safety regulations are based on risk analysis and are not arbitrary and used as a means to protect domestic producers from competition.