International Food

Standards
AM 1
International Codex Alimentarius
Commission (CAC)
 The International Codex Alimentarius
Commission is the main organ of a world-
wide food standards programme, under the
joint control of FAO (Food and Agriculture
Organization and WHO (World Health
Organization) two specialized agencies of the
United Nations Organizations.
 The Commission's main task is to prepare an

international codex alimentations, based on

principles outlined in the statement prepared
by the commission itself.
Codex Alimentarius
 The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of
internationally recognized standards, codes of
practice, guidelines, and other recommendations
relating to foods, food production, and food safety.

 The Codex Alimentarius is to include standards for

all the principal foods, whether processed, semi-
processed or raw for distribution to the consumer.
The Codex Alimentarius is to include provisions in
respect of food additives, pesticides residues,
contaminants, labelling and presentation, methods
of analysis and sampling.
Codex standards contain requirements for food aimed at ensuring for the consumer, a
sound, wholesome food product free from adulteration, correctly labelled and
presented.

A codex standards should, therefore, for any food or foods:

1. Incorporate by reference the applicable hygiene, labelling, method of analysis and

other general provisions adopted by the commission; and

2. Specify in whole or in part the following criteria, as appropriate:

(a) Product designation, definition and composition - Describe and define the food
and cover compositional requirements based on the quality criteria.

(b) Hygiene requirements: Factors such as specific sanitary and other protective
measures and safeguards to assure a sound, wholesome and marketable product.

(c) Weight and measure requirement – Relating to fill of container, weight, measure, or
count of units based on an appropriate method or criterion.

(d) Labelling requirements: Specific requirement for labelling presentation.

(e) Sampling, testing and analytical methods: These should cover specific sampling,
testing, and analytical procedures.
HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point.

 An important guideline of Codex Alimentaries

Commission for the food processing companies
is to follow a food quality management system
called HACCP.
 HACCP has been defined as a systematic
approach to be used in food production as the
means to ensure food safety.
 Seven basic principles underlie the concept,

which include an assessment of the inherent

risk that may be present from the harvest till
ultimate consumption.
Critical Control Points (CCP)
CCP is defined as “Specific point, procedure, or step in
food manufacturing at which control can be exercised to
reduce, eliminate, or prevent the possibility of a food
safety hazard.”

HACCP is aimed at prevention of contamination, instead

of end-product evaluation. In place of relying on food
inspectors to detect food safety problems, HACCP shifts
the responsibility to the food producer to ensure that the
product is safely consumable. Proposed by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission for the food industry in general,
and meat, poultry, and seafood industry in particular, it
has been adopted by some 150 countries
PRINCIPLES OF HACCP
1. Assess Hazards and Risks associated with growing, harvesting, raw

material and ingredients, processing, manufacturing, distribution,

marketing, preparation and consumption of food.

2. Determine critical control points (CCP) required to control the identified

hazards.

3. Establish the critical limits that must be met at each identified CCP.

4. Establish procedures to monitor CCP.

5. Establish corrective action to be taken when there is a deviation

identified by monitoring a CCP.

6. Establish effective record keeping system that document the HACCP plan.

7. Establish procedures for verification that HACCP system is working

correctly.
Foods Standards in India :
 A number of existing food standards in India are
based on the international codex alimentarius,
with relevant modifications and additions
wherever necessary.

 The most important of these are:

 Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA)
 `Agmark' Standards (AGMark)
 Fruit Products Order (FPO)
 Indian Standards Institution (ISI) / Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS)
Fruit Products Order (FPO)

 FPO was promoted by the GOI in 1946, under

the Defence India Rules.
 In 1955, the order was revised and section III

of the Essential commodities Act, which was

enacted that year.
 Under this act, every manufacturer for fruit

and vegetable products must obtain a licence

before starting production and the products
should conform to the standards prescribed
under the order.
 The latest amendment was made in 1975.
Objective of the F.P.O
 To ensure minimum standards for various fruit
and vegetable product.
 The order specifies standards and sanitation and
hygiene to be followed in the factories besides
giving directions regarding packing, marking
and labelling of containers.
 The inspectors attached to the Dept. of
Agricultural Marketing are empowered to collect
samples and inspect the factory and send the
samples to the testing laboratory located at
Central Food Research Institute, Mysore.
 The order has further laid down limits for the
presence of poisonous elements, permitted food
colors, preservatives and other food additives.
Products marked with FPO
The following are the products of fruit and vegetables marked with FPO :

 (i) Preserved fruit (in cans and bottles)

 (ii) Preserved vegetables (in cans and bottles)

 (iii) Fruit juice and fruit pulp (in cans, bottles)

 (iv) Fruit drinks like Rasika, Mangola etc.

 (v) Jam, Jelly and Marmalade.

 (vi) Squash, Syrup and Cordial.

 (vii) Pickles, Chutneys and Preservers.

 (viii) Dried fruit and vegetables.

 (ix) Candid and Glazed Fruits

 (x) Frozen Fruit, vegetables, fruit, juice and fruit pulp.

 (xi) Sherbet and carbonated drinks like Cola drinks etc.

 (xii) Synthetic vinegar.

AG MARK
 The Grading and Marking of Agricultural
Products Act of 1937, defines standards for
the quality of cereals, oilseeds, oils, butter,
ghee, legumes, eggs, etc. and provides for
the categorisation of commodities into
various grades depending on the degree of
purity in each case.
 The several grades are : (i) Special (Grade 1);
 (2) Good (Grade 2); (
 3) Fair (Grade 3); and
 (4) Ordinary (Grade 4).
 These standards also specify the type of

packaging to be used for different products.

 AgMark specification are mainly formulated
on the basis of physical and chemical
characteristics, intrinsic as well as acquired
during processing or otherwise.
 The agricultural practices prevailing in the

country, consumer preferences and

availability of the different farm commodities
are taken into consideration while framing
these standards
AG MARK CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
 Ag Mark certification is passed only after elaborate
testing.
 All the Food processing Factories with Ag Mark

certification appoint an expert (chemical) with the

permission of Ag Mark Officers, who checks and
controls the raw materials and produced food
product for quality control
 Ag Mark inspection can take samples from the

factory or open market and can get it analysed in

dependently in their food laboratory.
 If the testing shows that the product is below the

required standard, then factory's chemical expert

services are terminated and the sale of that batch
of food product is prohibited.