Codex Alimentarius, in a December 2004 circular letter has asked its members for comments on an upcoming revision of the definition of a food.

Why is this significant for anyone concerned with freedom of choice in health?

An authoritative and internationally agreed definition of food which acknowledges the role of food and nutrition in health could provide a much needed counter-balance to the all-embracing current definitions of a medicine, which are used to justify taking off the market many of the foods/supplements that are most healthy and most effective in doing what medicine SHOULD be doing but isn't - making people better.

Here is the text of the Codex circular for reference. Comments have to be made by national representatives to Codex. If you wish to have some input into the discussion, you will have to find and contact your national Codex Alimentarius Contact Point (you can find each member country's details here) and communicate with the person in charge.

Read here the Codex announcement:


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The 20th Session of the Committee on General Principles, while considering the revision of the Code of Ethics for International Trade in Food, agreed to initiate new work on the revision of the current definition of food, as contained in the Procedural Manual (ALINORM 04/27/33A, paras. 79-84). The 27th Session of the Commission approved this proposal as new work (ALINORM 04/27/41, para. 88 and Appendix VI).

The current definition of food is the following:

Food means any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is intended for human consumption, and includes drink, chewing gum and any substance which has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of “food” but does not include cosmetics or tobacco or substances used only as drugs.

The definition is therefore circulated for comments, proposals for amendments, and consideration by the 22nd Session of the Committee on General Principles, Paris, France, 11-15 April 2005.

Governments and international organizations wishing to submit comments should do so in writing, preferably by email, to the above addresses before 5 March 2005.

(end of Codex announcement)

Codex Alimentarius has been discussing food supplements for years and has recently sent its proposed guidelines to the central "Codex Commission" for final approval and issue. One of the great problems with the Codex and other international guidelines and legislative proposals is that the proponents either know nothing of the healing powers of proper food and of nutritional supplements or worse - they know it's all bull dust because they work for the pharmaceutical industry and clearly, only pharmaceutical medicines can be curative in any way.

There is a great need for education of our lawmakers, and unfortunately the people sitting in national Codex offices - although no one elected them specifically for that job - they are lawmakers of the most effective kind. Their decisions bypass national parliamentary processes because the international guidelines they work out are enforced through trade mechanisms.

Since there is such an international mechanism that bypasses traditional legislative channels, we might as well get used to the thought and provide the input we deem necessary - directly to them.