Codex Alimentarius: The International Food Reference Every Producer Must Know
A clear guide to Codex Alimentarius, its key food safety standards, and how it impacts your products locally and globally.
Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international standards created by FAO and WHO since 1963 to ensure food safety, protect consumers, and facilitate global trade.
Core standards: CXS 192 (food additives), CXC 1 (general principles of food hygiene — GMP), CXS 1 (labeling of prepackaged foods), CAC/RCP 39 (low-acid canned foods).
Why it matters: most countries base their food legislation on Codex — including Jordan (JS 9:2025), Saudi Arabia (SFDA), UAE (ESMA), and the EU. Compliance opens export markets.
CXS 192 (additives): defines maximum permitted levels for each additive in each food category. E.g. sodium benzoate E211 is allowed up to 1000 ppm in soft drinks.
CXC 1 (GMP): covers hygienic facility design, personal hygiene, pest control, raw material storage, and process control.
In practice: when developing a new product, check CXS 192 before adding any preservative or colorant, apply CXC 1 as the foundation of your GMP program, then build HACCP on top.
Apply this in your facility
Use NutriCard tools to generate compliant labels, GMP audits, and HACCP plans aligned with international standards.
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