IFOAM and the Codex Alimentarius Commission
	For more than 10 years, IFOAM has had official status as an international NGO observer at Codex Alimentarius. 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 Program. The main purposes of this Program are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations. Of the many Codex Committees, IFOAM’s energies have been focused on the Committee for Food Labeling, and in particular on the development of Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods.  Like the IFOAM Basic Standards, the Codex Organic Guidelines serve as an international reference for the development of regional organic standards, and therefore foster harmonization of all the standards. IFOAM has made it a priority to ensure that Codex Organic Guidelines are highly consistent with the IFOAM Basic Standards.  In order to do this, IFOAM prepares written comments on the new and revised sections of the Organic Guidelines; and IFOAM delegates actively participate in every annual meeting of the Committee for Food Labeling and an Organic Working Group that serves the Committee. IFOAM also follows the development of guidelines for the labeling of foods that result from methods of genetic modification, and advocates that all such food products must be labeled.   To learn more about Codex Alimentarius, visit its website at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp
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