What is Australia’s role in Codex?

Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally-recognised food standards, guidelines, codes of practice and other recommendations relating to foods, food products and food safety. Given that Australia has its own detailed set of food laws, Australian food businesses and consumers might be forgiven for thinking that the Codex is of little relevance. However, there is a deep and ongoing relationship between Australian food laws and the Codex. This article explores the importance of Codex in the context of national Australian legislation and regulations, as well as Australia’s leading role and contribution to developing and revising Codex standards.