The recent inauguration of the fifth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has drawn attention to its role in setting global standards for spices and herbs. This committee, established under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), has been instrumental in safeguarding the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.
The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH)
Established in 2013, the CCSCH aims to develop global standards for dried and dehydrated spices and culinary herbs, in whole, ground, or crushed form. As part of its mandate, the committee consults with other international organizations to avoid duplication in the standards development process.
India, represented by the Spices Board—part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry—is the host country and the Secretariat for organizing the committee’s sessions. The Spices Board is the flagship organization responsible for promoting Indian spices globally.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
The CAC is an intergovernmental body jointly set up by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1963. It operates within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme, with its Secretariat hosted at the FAO headquarters in Rome.
The commission was founded with the goal of protecting consumers’ health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade. It holds regular sessions yearly, alternating between Geneva and Rome.
Currently, the CAC comprises 189 members, including 188 member countries and one member organization—the European Union. India is also a member.
One of the key contributions of the CAC is the Codex Alimentarius—a compilation of international food standards adopted by the commission. These standards encompass all main foods, processed or raw, and materials used in further processing food products.
The Codex’s provisions address food’s hygienic and nutritional quality, microbiological norms, food additives, pesticide and veterinary drug residues, contaminants, labelling and presentation, and methods of sampling and risk analysis.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the FSSAI is an autonomous statutory body headquartered in Delhi. Its administrative ministry is the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
The FSSAI is responsible for framing regulations to establish food safety standards and guidelines. It grants food safety licenses and certifications for food businesses and sets procedures and guidelines for laboratories in food businesses.
Additionally, the FSSAI advises the government on policy formulation, collects data on food contaminants, identifies emerging risks, implements a rapid alert system, creates a nationwide information network on food safety, and promotes general awareness about food safety and standards.
