Trade and Food Standards

Food standards and trade go hand in hand in ensuring safe, nutritious and sufficient food for a growing world population. This publication looks at how the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WTO provide a framework to facilitate trade on the basis of internationally agreed food standards. "Trade in Food Standards" emphasizes the importance of governments engaging in the setting of international standards for food (through the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission) and in resolving food trade concerns through the WTO's relevant committees: the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Technical Barriers to Trade Committee. The publication also underlines the importance of helping developing countries comply with international food standards so that they can participate more effectively in food trade.