Valutazione e gestione del rischio e standards del Codex Alimentarius

Risk Evaluation and Management. Standards of the Codex Alimentariu (by Paolo Borghi) - EC Regulation No 178/2002 has completely ruled the food-related risk management, outlining a new system based on the EC Commission?s political responsibility and on the scientific responsibility of an ad hoc specialized agency (European Food Safety Agency). In the text of EC Reg. No 178/2002 there are no explicit links between the tasks of EFSA and the Codex Alimentarius FAO-WHO Commission. Though, the fact that EFSA has to provide the best possible scientific opinions, taking advantage even from external resources (in close cooperation with all data-collecting organizations, including international bodies, so highlighting a possible role of the Codex), implies the need to consider the Codex alimentarius standards as including the best worldwide available scientific information. But also relevant are the fact that international standards must be taken into consideration in the development or adaptation of food law; or the fact that the EC must contribute to the development of international technical standards, and promote consistency between these standards and EU food law: hence, the adhesion (EC Decision No 2003/822/EC) of EC to Codex, which could be even deemed as involved in the EC Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, open to participation of international organizations.