Who is involved in the GM foods labelling debate?

Chances are that you haven’t heard of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

But Harriet Friedmann thinks you should get to know what it is – because in the fever-pitched debate over the labelling of genetically-modified foods, this once obscure agency is playing a crucial role.

Codex was founded in 1963 as a joint agency of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. “It was set up to ensure the food traded around the world adheres to standards of quality and health and to assist developing countries in regulating food standards so they could export to developed countries in the north,” says Friedmann. The sociology professor at the University of Toronto at Mississauga and the Munk Centre for International Studies focuses her research on global food supply and regulation.

Since the World Trade Organization was created in 1995, Codex has become the global body for setting binding standards for food quality, including whether foods should have labels informing consumers about genetically-modified content.

As you might expect, various interest groups want a say in this decision, from governments to food corporations to non-governmental organizations involved in consumers’ rights and environmental protection.

Friedmann’s current focus is studying legitimacy challenges to Codex as an emerging institution of international regulation. “As global rules emerge, citizens want to participate in decisions that are binding on national governments. For Codex, global regulation of food is necessary, but who decides what the regulations are? I want to understand how the process works now and how Codex is responding to claims for more democratic participation in discussions.”