In News: The fifth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH), formed under the Codex Alimentarius Commission(CAC), was recently inaugurated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) .
About Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH)
- Due to their high economic value, the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH), formed under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), identified the risk of unscrupulous and deliberate adulteration of spices by substitution.
- To establish and extend global standards for spices and culinary herbs, as well as collaborate with other international organisations throughout the production process. CCSCH was founded in 2013 with the help of over a hundred countries.
- India serving as the host country and Spices Board India serving as the Secretariat for the committee’s sessions.
- Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices.
- The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs has been active in establishing globally harmonised Codex standards for spices and herbs since its inception.
- The committee established and finalised criteria for four spices, including dried or dehydrated varieties of black/white/green pepper, cumin, thyme, and garlic, over the course of four sessions.
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
- The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body created in 1963 by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the Joint Food Standards Programme to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practises.
- The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) accepts Codex codes, guidelines, and recommendations as reference standards for international trade and trade dispute resolution.
- The Codex Alimentarius Commission currently has 189 members, consisting of 188 member countries and one member organisation (The European Union).
- In 1964, India became a part of the Codex Alimentarius.
Additional Link: https://journalsofindia.com/fssai/
Source: PIB
