Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
The Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) is chaired and hosted by Australia. This committee develops principles and guidelines related to food import and export inspection and certification systems with a view to harmonising methods and procedures which protect the health of consumers, ensure fair trading practices and contribute to facilitating international trade in food stuffs.
Existing Codex Standards
Standards relating to food import and export inspection and certification systems* that have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code include standards on:
- Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification
- Guidelines For The Exchange of Information between Countries on Rejections of Imported Foods
- Guidelines For The Design, Operation, Assessment and Accreditation of Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
- Guidelines For The Development of Equivalence Agreements Regarding Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
- Guidelines for Food Import Control Systems
- Guidelines for the Judgement of Equivalence of Sanitary Measures Associated with Food Inspection and Certifications Systems
- Guidelines for the Exchange of Information in Food Safety Emergency Situations
- Principles for Electronic Certification as an Appendix to the Codex Guidelines for Generic Official Certificate Formats and the Production and Issuance of Certificates (CAC/GL 38-2001), and
- Principles for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool within a Food Inspection and Certification System.
*This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards.
Outcomes from the 33rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The 33rd Commission adopted at Step 5/8 the Principles and guidelines for the conduct of assessment of foreign official inspection and certification systems.
Last meeting
The Committee met for its 18th Session at Surfers Paradise, Australia from 1-5 March 2010. At the meeting the Committee agreed to forward to the 33rd Session of the Commission for final adoption:
- the renamed Principles and guidelines for the conduct of assessment of foreign official inspection and certification systems (Annex to the Guidelines for the design, operation, assessment and accreditation of food import and export inspection and certification systems (CAC/GL 26-1997) (N07-2008) (see para. 39 and Appendix II).
Physical Working Groups
The committee also agreed to establish a physical working group to prepare revised draft Principles and Guidelines for National Food Control Systems.
Matters of interest
The Committee agreed to return the proposed draft principles and guidelines for the national food control systems (N06-2009) to Step 2 (see para. 68).
Matters referred to other Committees / Task Forces
Committee on General Principles (CCGP)
The Committee agreed to contribute some points to the upcoming discussion in CCGP on the merit of developing a general definition for the term “competent authority” (see para. 6).
Next meeting
The 19th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems has been scheduled to be held in Australia from 17-21 October 2011.