Codex v EU - what's the link?

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the international body charged with setting global food standards. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly sponsor it. Codex Alimentarius literally means 'food code', and the Commission was set up in 1963 to protect the health of consumers, ensure fair practices in international food trade and to co-ordinate all international food standards work.

The EU is the single most important influence upon the Codex discussions, and Mr. Basil Mathioudakis is the head of the European Commission delegation at meetings of the 'Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses'. Now that even more countries have joined the EU Mr Mathioudakis now represents a total of 27 EU Member States at Codex, and whenever he exercises his right to vote none of the 25 Member States are entitled to exercise theirs.

If you and your family prefer processed foods and never shop in a health food store, then you have nothing to worry about because Codex is definitely not a threat to your way of life. But if you prefer a less restrictive lifestyle and prefer natural healthcare to pharmaceutical drugs - and probably support dietary supplements too - then you should be worrying because Codex will probably be a significant threat to your approach to life.

Unfortunately, the Codex is watching very closely how EU proceeds with the Food Supplements Directive - and will most likely adopt the European model and impose it globally. If that happens and EU regulators go the wrong way, not only will all Europeans lose their specialist higher dose vitamins and minerals, but Codex would impose exactly the same regulations on every country across the world - and we will all be the poorer for it.