Codex Alimentarius in Canada

Terms of Reference

Interdepartmental Committee on the Codex Alimentarius (IDC/CODEX)

Membership:

The Interdepartmental Committee on the Codex Alimentarius (IDC/Codex) is comprised of representatives from: Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and Agriculture and AgriFood Canada. Health Canada has responsibility for coordination of the Canadian program of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in its role as Codex Contact Point for Canada. It also serves as the Secretariat to the Codex Committee on Food Labelling and the Codex Committee on Vegetable Proteins (sine die) and, when hosted by Canada, the Coordinating Committee for North America and the SouthWest Pacific.

Chair, Vicechair and Secretary:

The Chair shall be a representative selected from Health Canada or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on a rotational basis. The Chair shall serve a term commencing at the first meeting of IDC/Codex after a session of the CAC and ending at the first meeting of the following session of the CAC.

The ViceChair shall be the official designated as the Codex Contact Point for Canada who shall also serve as the Secretariat to the IDC/Codex.

Convening of Meetings:

Meetings shall be held at the call of the Chair or Secretariat, or at the request of a participating department, in keeping with the current CAC Timetable of Codex Sessions for the year. In the absence of the Chair, meetings shall be chaired by the immediate past Chair or the Vice Chair as may be requested by the Chair.

Terms of Reference :

1. To review and make recommendations concerning Canadian participation in the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program, as stipulated in the Procedural Manual, Article 1, Statutes of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
2. To determine Codex Committees in which Canada will participate, and the lead department for such committees.
3. To endorse the composition of Canadian delegations to all Codex sessions.
4. To review, revise and authorize Canadian positions developed for, and delegations to:
   1. sessions of the Executive Committee
   2. sessions of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
   3. sessions of commodity Codex committees and general subject Codex committees, and
   4. sessions of regional coordinating committees and
   5. expert group sessions, when applicable.
5. Approval of common positions with respect to NAFTA related Codex concerns.
6. To name the representative for the Region of North America to the Executive Committee when Canada is the designated country or the advisor to the representative for North America when the United States is the designated country.
7. To review summary reports by Canadian delegates to sessions of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodies and provide direction for future action.
8. To approve budgets for sessions of the two Committees hosted by Canada, namely, The Codex Committee on Food Labelling and The Codex Committee on Vegetable Proteins, and, when hosted by Canada, The Coordinating Committee for North America and the SouthWest Pacific, in accordance with the Procedural Manual.
9. To provide policy advice with respect to acceptance of Codex standards, recommendations and guidelines.
10. To develop and implement a process for consultation by the IDC/Codex with other Canadian organizations both government and nongovernment as well as international contacts.
11. To develop and implement a process to meet Canada's participatory obligations under the World Trade Organization and NAFTA with respect to the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
12. To conduct any other activities with respect to the Codex Alimentarius Commission and Canada's participation therein as may be identified by one of the participating departments or any other organization within the Government of Canada.

September 1998