Codex and the SDGs: how participation in Codex Alimentarius supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Overview

In 2015, the global community agreed on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, “a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity,” and established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

With its twin mandate to protect consumer health and promote fair practices in the food trade, the joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme adopts science-based food standards into its Codex Alimentarius, or ‘Food Code’, to the benefit of its 188 Member Countries and one Member Organization (the European Union). These food standards, which include guidelines and codes of practice, are a freely-available resource for all countries to use as part of their domestic food safety systems and to ensure their food exports are internationally compliant. Codex standards are also a World Trade Organization reference for food trade disputes and furthermore, they represent a significant tool to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Countries that take advantage of Codex standards, guidelines and codes of practice are better positioned to tackle many of the SDG targets. In particular, alignment of food safety systems with the Codex Alimentarius can help countries work towards SDGs 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, and 17.

This document explains how Codex work supports countries to achieve these particular SDGs, which are interconnected with other SDGs and the 2030 Agenda generally. It also highlights how the Codex Trust Fund supports developing and transition economy countries to build food safety capacity, which helps equip them to pursue the SDGs more successfully. Through stories from different countries, the value of Codex work is illustrated and the potential for countries to achieve specific relevant targets is detailed.