The best traditions of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and
the World Health Organization (WHO) have
encouraged food-related scientific and
technological research as well as discussion. In
doing so, they have lifted the world community’s
awareness of food safety and related issues to
unprecedented heights. The Codex Alimentarius
Commission, established by the two Organizations in
the 1960s, has become the single most important
international reference point for developments
associated with food standards.
Throughout much of the world, an increasing number
of consumers and governments are becoming aware
of food quality and safety issues and are realizing the
need to be selective about the foods being consumed.
It is now common for consumers to demand that their
governments take legislative action to ensure that only
safe food of acceptable quality is sold and that the risk
of food-borne health hazards is minimized.