UNIT – I
Chapter - 3
International Food Laws and Regulatory Agencies
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation)
❖ The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
❖ Established in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has its headquarters
in Rome, Italy.
❖ It was founded with a goal to provide food security for everyone and assure that people
will have access to high-quality food in sufficient quantities to achieve a healthy
lifestyle.
❖ Every year, the FAO publishes a number of major ‘State of the World’ reports related
to food, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and natural resources.
FAO Members
The FAO has 197 member countries, which includes the European Union as well. It conducts
biennial conferences. The FAO Council is the executive arm of the governing body. The
members elect the Council which is composed of 49 members.
FAO Council
The FAO Council was established in 1947 at the FAO Conference that replaced the original
“Executive Committee of FAO”. This was in accordance with the recommendation of the
Preparatory Commission of FAO on World Food Proposals.
Note: The Council, within the limits of the powers, acts as the Conference’s executive organ
between sessions.
Role and Functions of Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a global organisation, and its functions can be
listed as follows:
❖ Helping Governments and Development Agencies coordinate their activities which are
targeted to develop and improve agriculture, fisheries, forestry and other water and land
resources.
❖ Conducting research and providing technical assistance to various projects related to
improving agricultural output and development.
❖ Conducting training and educational programs and also collecting and analyzing
agricultural data to improve yield and production.
❖ The FAO also brings out a number of publications/reports, some of which are, the State
of the World, the Global Report on Food Crises, the State of Food and Agriculture, the
State of the World's Forests, etc.
Other functions include dealing with matters related to Food and Agriculture around the world.
It also executes current and prospective activities of the Organisation including its Programme
of Work and Budget, administrative matters and financial management of the Organisation and
constitutional matters.
FAO and India
The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations has enjoyed a valuable
partnership with India since it began operations in 1945. It continues to play a major role in
India’s progress in the areas of crops, livestock, fisheries, food security, and the management
of natural resources. FAO began its operations in India in 1948. It has an office in New Delhi.
The nodal ministry for FAO in India is the Ministry of Agriculture.
❖ The main objective of the Indian Government is to double the income of farmers by
increasing efficiency and ensuring equity in a sustainable manner.
❖ The NITI Aayog is the country’s premier policy-making institution that is expected to
bolster the economic growth of the country. Its various policies and agendas represent
the encircling framework for the Agricultural Sector.
❖ The FAO Council also approved India’s membership to the Executive Board of the
United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021.
Priority Areas
Sustainable and improved agricultural productivity Stronger food and nutrition security systems
and increased farm incomes
Effective natural resource management, Enhanced social inclusion, improved skills and
community development and assistance in employment opportunity in the agriculture sector
transboundary cooperation to the global public
good
WHO (World Health Organizations)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that looks
into matters of public health. Established on April 7th, 1948, its headquarters is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.
At the 1945 United Nations Conference on International Organization (also known as the San
Francisco Conference), Szeming Sze, a delegate from the Republic of China (modern-day
Taiwan), proposed the creation of an international health organisation under the auspices of the
new United Nations. Alger Hiss, the Secretary-General of the conference, recommended using
a declaration to establish such an organisation.
As a result of these proceedings, the World Health Organisation came to be established in 1948.
It became the first specialised agency of the United Nations to which every member subscribed.
❖ The WHO is headed by its Director-General and is headquartered in Geneva. Currently,
the WHO has 194 member countries. However, the US is withdrawing from the WHO.
❖ Full membership of the WHO is only guaranteed with the ratifying of the treaty known
as the Constitution of the World Health Organisation.
❖ The member states of the WHO appoint delegates to the World Health Assembly, which
is the supreme decision-making body. The World Health Assembly is attended by
delegations from all Member States and determines the policies of the Organisation.
❖ On May 19, 2020, India was elected by the 73rd World Health Assembly to the
Executive Board of the World Health Organisation for a period of three years. Union
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took charge as the chairman of the WHO Executive
Board on May 22. He succeeds Dr Hiroki Nakatani of Japan.
❖ The WHO celebrates the World Health Day annually on its formation day (7 April).
The theme for 2020 was “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”.
What is the Overall Focus of the WHO?
The WHO Constitution states that the organisation’s objective “is the attainment by all people
of the highest possible level of health”.
The WHO fulfils this objective through the following functions:
1. By playing a role as the directing and coordinating authority on international health work.
2. Maintaining and establishing collaboration with the UN and any other appropriate bodies.
3. Assisting governments, upon request, in strengthening their health services.
4. Giving appropriate technical assistance and in case of emergencies, required aid upon the
request or acceptance of governments.
Impact
Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and
harming national economies, tourism, and trade. The burden of foodborne diseases to public
health and to economies has often been underestimated due to underreporting and difficulty to
establish causal relationships between food contamination and resulting illness or death.
Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths
every year.
The consumption and production of safe food have immediate and long-term benefits for
people, the planet, and the economy. Safe food is essential to human health and well-being,
only food that is safe can be traded. Safe food allows for the uptake of nutrients and promotes
long-term human development. When food is not safe, humans cannot develop, and the
Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved.
The 2019 World Bank report on the economic burden of the foodborne diseases indicated that
US$ 110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe
food in low- and middle-income countries. Unsafe or contaminated food leads to trade
rejections, economic losses and food losses and waste, while safe food production improves
economic opportunities by enabling market access and productivity.
WHO response
WHO calls for the transformation of food systems to make food safe, healthy, and sustainably
produced for all the world population.
WHO provides scientific advice and research to help develop international standards for food
safety through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/WHO Codex Alimentarius.
WHO provides global leadership in facilitating investment and coordinated evidence-based
action across multiple sectors. This supports Member States in building strong, sustainable,
and resilient national food control systems with a balance of responsibilities between the
different stakeholders, including consumers. It does so through the implementation of WHO
Global Strategy for Food Safety (2022–2030); monitoring the global burden of foodborne
diseases and supporting countries in burden estimates; supporting stronger national food
control systems by comprehensive assessments through the FAO/WHO food control system
assessment tool; and helping implement adequate infrastructure to respond to food safety
emergencies through the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN).
Each year, 1 in 10 people get ill by eating unsafe food. While food safety is a shared
responsibility, individual consumers and food handlers play a huge role in preventing
foodborne diseases. “Five keys to safer food” messages were therefore developed and validated
by an independent body of international scientists in 2001, to empower all consumers
worldwide with a simple and applicable set of actions to prevent foodborne diseases.
WHO promotes safe food handling through the WHO Five keys to safer food and advocates
for priorities and policies that move food safety forward globally, by convening with partners
and the public through World Food Safety Day and global Food Safety Community of Practice.
These are “Five keys to safer food”, which were developed to educate safe food handling
behaviours to all consumers and food handlers.
1. Keep clean
2. Separate raw and cooked
3. Cook thoroughly
4. Keep food at safe temperatures
5. Use safe water and raw materials
These are “Five keys to safer food”, which were developed to educate safe food handling
behaviours to all consumers and food handlers. The poster with the Five Keys messages has been
translated into 88 languages (as of October 2019).
Codex Alimentarius
Codex Alimentarius commission was established in 1962. It means “Food Law” and “Food
Code” in Latin. 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 Commission's main goals are to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices
in the international food trade. The Codex Alimentarius is the Joint venture between FAO
and WHO to formulate internationally accepted food safety standards same time
recognized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an international reference point for the
resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection.
As of 2012, there were 187 members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission: 186 member
countries and one member organization, the European Union (EU). There were 215 Codex
observers: 49 intergovernmental organizations, 150 non-governmental organizations, and 16
United Nations organizations.
“Food” under the Codex:
The Codex Alimentarius covers all foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is
intended for human consumption and includes drink, chewing gum and any substance which
has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of food but does not include
cosmetics, tobacco or substances used solely as drugs.
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.
Food Labeling Requirements under Codex Alimentarius
➢ Name of the food
➢ List of ingredients (in descending order)
➢ Net content and drained weight
➢ Name and address of manufacturer
➢ Country of origin
➢ Lot identification
➢ Date marking and storage instructions
➢ Instructions for use
Specific standards under Codex Alimentarius
➢ Meat products (fresh, frozen, processed meats and poultry)
➢ Fish and fishery products (marine, fresh water and aquaculture)
➢ Milk and milk products
➢ Foods for special dietary uses (including infant formula and baby foods)
➢ Fresh and processed vegetables, fruits, and fruit juices
➢ Cereals and derived products, dried legumes
➢ Fats, oils and derived products such as margarine
➢ Miscellaneous food products (chocolate, sugar, honey, mineral water)
ISO 9001
Introduction to ISO 9001
ISO 9001 is a standard that defines the requirements for a Quality Management System
(QMS). It helps businesses and organizations be more efficient and improve customer
satisfaction. The primary focus of the ISO 9001 standard is to meet customer requirements and
strive to exceed customer expectations.
A Quality Management System based on ISO 9001:
• Defines how an organization can meet the requirements of its customers and other
stakeholders
• Promotes the idea of continual improvement
• Requires organizations to define objectives and continually improve their processes in
order to reach them
The ISO 9001 standard is based on a series of ISO 9000 standards:
• ISO 9001 – defines the requirements of a quality management system
• ISO 9000 – covers the basic concepts and language
• ISO 9004 – focuses on how to make a quality management system more efficient and
effective
• ISO 19011 – provides guidance on internal and external audits of quality management
systems
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 defines the criteria for a Quality Management System and is the only standard in the
family that can be audited against with the goal of voluntary compliance or to become 3rd party
registered. In fact, there are over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries
certified to ISO 9001. All the requirements of ISO 9001 are generic and are intended to be
applicable to any organization, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it
provides.
The standard is based on seven Quality Management Principles, including a strong customer
focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual
improvement.
These Quality Management Principles are identified as follows:
1. Customer focus
2. Leadership
3. Engagement of people
4. Process approach
5. Improvement
6. Evidence-based decision making
7. Relationship management
Complying with ISO 9001 ensures customers get consistent, good quality products and
services, which in turn brings many business benefits.
The standards provide guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to make
sure their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality
and customer satisfaction are consistently improved.
Why Implement ISO 9001?
Any organization can meet the requirements of ISO 9001 either through voluntary compliance
or to become 3rd party registered. It can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless
of its field of activity.
ISO 9001 specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization wants
to:
• Demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer
and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
• Enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system
• Implement processes for improvement of the system
• Integrate multiple management systems where the ISO 9001 structure is the same, such
as ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety), etc.
• Define its overall context and who is affected as well as what is expected
• Clearly state its objectives and identify new business opportunities
• Put customers first, making sure that their needs are consistently met and enhance their
satisfaction
• Have repeat customers, increase customer loyalty, add new clients and increase
business
• Expand into new markets, as some sectors and clients require ISO 9001 before doing
business
• Identify and address the risks within the organization
• Work in a more efficient way to increase productivity and efficiency, bringing internal
costs down
When to Implement ISO 9001?
Compliance with the ISO 9001 requirements are typically achieved when there is a need driven
by customers but also when an organization wants to improve its QMS with the goal of
improving its products or services and ultimately customer satisfaction.
Compliance to the ISO 9001 standard can be done at any time but is typically used when:
• Customers specify this requirement as part of the contract
• Countries require certification in order to trade with them
• Organizations want to improve their products and customer satisfaction
How to Implement ISO 9001?
Organizations’ deciding to develop and implement any new or improved Quality Management
System is a strategic decision. All efforts should be focused on the identification and
minimization of risk while meeting and exceeding customer and organizational goal and
objective requirements.
Organizations should make a commitment to:
• Recognize direct and indirect customers as those who receive value from the
organization
• Understand customers’ current and future needs and expectations
• Link the organization’s objectives to customer needs and expectations
• Communicate customer needs and expectations throughout the organization
• Plan, design, develop, produce, deliver and support goods and services to meet
customer needs and expectations
• Measure and monitor customer satisfaction and take appropriate actions
• Determine and take actions on interested parties’ needs and expectations that can affect
customer satisfaction
• Actively manage relationships with customers to achieve sustained success
ISO 9001 Compliance can be achieved through Quality-One’s Seven Phase Approach:
1. Executive and Management Overview / Planning
2. Gap Assessment and Planning
3. Documentation
4. Implementation and Training
5. Internal Assessment and Management Review
6. 3rd Party Registration Assessment
7. Sustain and Continual Improvement
