INTERNATIONAL FOOD

LAWS AND REGULATIONS

FAO, WHO, CODEX, FDA and

USDA
 FAO?

The Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United
Nations (FAO)
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations leads international efforts to reduce hunger and
malnutrition.
• Serving developed and developing countries, as well as
countries in transition, FAO helps to improve agriculture,
forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition
for all.
• Founded in 1945, FAO is governed by a Conference of Member
Nations that meets every two years to review the work carried
out by the Organization and approve a Programme of Work and
Budget for the next biennium.
• FAO maintains five regional, five sub regional and five liaison
offices, and over 74 country offices in addition to its headquarters
in Rome.
FAO's Mandate : -
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"FAO's mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural
productivity, better the lives of rural populations, and contribute to
the growth of the world economy.Achieving food security for all is
at the heart of FAO's efforts - to make sure people have regular
access to enough high-quality food to lead active,healthy lives"
WHO
The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency
for health.
It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its
Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest
possible level of health.
WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health
Assembly.
The Health Assembly is composed of representatives from WHO's
Member States.
The main tasks of the World Health Assembly are to approve the WHO
program and the budget for the following biennium (a period of 2 years)
and to decide major policy questions.
WHO's goal is the attainment
by all peoples of the highest
possible level of health
CODEX?
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission was
created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop
food standards, guidelines and related texts
such as codes of practice under the Joint
FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
• The main purposes of this Programme are:
• protecting health of the consumers
• ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade
• promoting coordination of all food standards
work undertaken by international
governmental and non-governmental
organizations.
 Scope
• The Codex Alimentarius officially covers all foods,
whether processed, semi-processed or raw, but far
more attention has been given to foods that are
marketed directly to consumers.
• In addition to standards for specific foods, the Codex
Alimentarius contains general standards covering
matters such as food labeling, food hygiene,
food additives and pesticide residues, and
procedures for assessing the safety of foods
derived from modern biotechnology.
• It also contains guidelines for the management of
official (i.e., governmental) import and export
inspection and certification systems for foods.
• The Codex Alimentarius is published in Arabic,
Chinese, English, French and Spanish. Not all texts
are available in all languages.
United States: Federal-level
regulation

• FDA
• USDA
 Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
 Organization
• The FDA is an agency within the
United States Department of Health and Human Services.
• Currently, the FDA is subdivided into various Centers and
offices that specialize in certain areas of regulation. FDA has
the following subdivisions:
The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)
The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH)
The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR)
The Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA)
The Office of the Commissioner (OC)
• The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is responsible for regulating :
food, dietary supplements, drugs,
biological medical products,
blood products, medical devices, radiation-
emitting devices, veterinary products, and
cosmetics in the United States.
 Regulation of food and dietary
supplements
• The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is
the branch of the FDA which is responsible for
ensuring the safety and accurate labeling of nearly
all food products in the United States.
• One exception is products derived from traditional
domesticated animals, such as cattle and chickens,
which fall under the jurisdiction of the
United States Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service.
• Products which contain minimal amounts of meat are
regulated by FDA, and the exact boundaries are
listed in a memorandum of understanding between
the two agencies.
 The United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA)
• The United States Department of
Agriculture (also called the Agriculture
Department, or USDA) is a
United States Federal Executive Depart
ment
(or Cabinet Department).
• Its purpose is to develop and execute
policy on farming, agriculture, and food.
• It aims to meet the needs of farmers and
ranchers, promote agricultural trade and
production, work to assure food safety,
protect natural resources, foster rural
communities and end hunger, in
America and abroad.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
which is responsible for the safety of
meat, poultry, and processed egg
products, and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), which is