Codex Alimentarius and Food Labeling

Ray A. Goldberg; Hal  Hogan

Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2002 (Revised February 2006)

Codex Alimentarius and Food Labeling

Abstract

Codex Alimentarius is a set of international food standards devised by the Codex Commission, a body within the United Nations jointly sponsored by the FAO and WHO. The purpose of the standards is to harmonize global trade in food products and agricultural commodities, protect the health of consumers, and promote fair trade practices in foods. A subset of the commission's work involved establishing international food labeling standards. The most disputed issue in food labeling dealt with the topic of genetically modified ingredients and how to treat them.

Keywords: Standards; Trade; Agreements and Arrangements; Food; Agribusiness; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Globalization; Health; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;

Format: Print

18 pages

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Citation:

Goldberg, Ray A., and Hal Hogan. "Codex Alimentarius and Food Labeling." Harvard Business School Case 903-417, October 2002. (Revised February 2006.)

Book | 2018

Food Citizenship: Food System Advocates in an Era of Distrust

Ray A. Goldberg

The global food system is the largest segment of the world's economy. As agribusiness-studies pioneer Ray Goldberg suggests, it is also the largest health system on the planet. And it is changing fast. Its size and importance to human, environmental, and economic health means that no system is viewed with as much suspicion by so many people around the globe. Changing societal expectations and scientific and medical advances have made the drivers of the food system—the world's food citizens—realize they must take more responsibility for society's nutritional needs, economic development, and the health of the environment. Goldberg argues that the traditionally commodity-oriented, bargaining relationship between segments of the food system has become win-win, collaborative, and characterized by public and private partnerships. Those who are responding to society's needs are succeeding; those who are not are losing out. The food system's greatest growth area is the developing world, where millions of small-scale producers, workers, and impoverished consumers need help to become part of the commercial food system. In this book, Ray Goldberg interviews the change makers of today's food system: leaders and constructive critics in government, private industry, nonprofits, and academia who provide a panoramic and in-depth look at a revolution in progress.

Keywords: Food; System; Global Range; Health; Environmental Sustainability; Development Economics; Partners and Partnerships; Public Opinion; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:

Goldberg, Ray A. Food Citizenship: Food System Advocates in an Era of Distrust. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. View Details

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Codex Alimentarius and Food Labeling

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