- 7th Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) Held at Kochi.
About CCSCH
- Establishment: CCSCH was established as one of the Commodity Committees under CAC in 2013.
- Host: India hosts CCSCH since the beginning and Spices Board India (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) serves as the Secretariat organization.
- Term of reference :
- To elaborate worldwide standards for spices and culinary herbs in their dried and dehydrated state.
- Consult with international organizations in the standards development process to avoid duplication.
Codex Standards
- About: These are international food texts, i.e. standards, codes of practice, codes of hygienic practice, guidelines and other recommendations.
- Nature: Codex texts are voluntary and do not have binding effect on national food legislation.
- Codex and WTO: WTO Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) encouraged WTO members to harmonise national regulations with international standards.
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC):
- Genesis: An international food standards body established jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) in 1963.
- Objective: Protecting consumer’s health and ensuring fair practices in food trade.
- Members: 189 Codex Members. The image confirms that India is a member.
- Functioning: CAC conducts its work through various Codex committees, including CCSCH (likely Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs), hosted by different member countries.
- Standards: Codex standards are voluntary and can be general or specific. They are recognized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as reference standards.
