New UN food safety and nutrition standards will benefit consumers

Rome, 09 July 2013: The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in its annual meeting held last week, has set an international food safety and quality standards to promote safer and more nutritious food for consumers worldwide.

Codex celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The session was attended by 620 delegates from 128 member Countries, one observer Country and 41 international governmental and non-governmental organizations, including UN agencies.

The commission adopted a number of standard commodities that will protect consumers from fraud and ensure fair practice in the food trade.

It also adopted the nutrient reference values on Sodium and saturated fatty acids, which are nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It is a part of Codex on going effeort to promote healthy dietary practices and address the increasing public helath problem of diet-related NCDs.

The commission also revised and updated guidelines on formulated supplementary foods for older, infants and young children to ensure the health and nutrition.
Source: VR Sedoc