India Becames Member Of UN's Codex Alimentarius Commission

India has been unanimously elected as the member representing the Asian region in the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the UN body's food safety and quality standard-setting body, in November 2023.

CAC Executive Committee meeting held in Rome:

• The 46th session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), a United Nations entity, took place at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, from November 27 to 30, 2023.
• The Executive Committee is an important branch of the CAC and member states have a strong interest in obtaining membership of it.

What benefit will India get by joining the CAC committee?

• According to the Union Health Ministry, this will provide India an opportunity to contribute significantly to the international standard setting process for various food product categories.
• Along with this, India will also be included in the decision making process at the global level.

Function of CAC Committee:

• The Executive Committee assists in the management of the Commission's standards development program by "critically reviewing" proposals to initiate work and monitoring the progress of standards development.

Composition of the Executive Committee of CAC:

• The Executive Committee of the CAC consists of a President, three Vice-Presidents, six regional coordinators and seven elected representatives from the different geographical regions of Codex.

India's proposal to set group standards for millets approved:

• The Commission accepted India's proposal to establish group standards for millets, a statement issued after India gained membership said.
• Member countries supported India's initiative to set global standards for millets.
• India had proposed setting a global standard for millets under the additional agenda category on the first day of the CAC meeting on November 27. After detailed deliberations on November 30, the preparation of three project documents was approved.

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC):

• CAC is an international standards body established jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 1963 to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in food trade.
• Currently the CAC has a total of 189 members including 188 countries and 1 organization (the European Union).
• India joined the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1964.