In News:

India Participates in 44th Session of Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses

Key Contributions:

• Nutrient Reference Values:
  • Advocated for reference values for ages 6 to 36 months.
  • Suggested combining NRV-R values by averaging those for 6-12 months and 12-36 months.
  • This proposal was accepted by the committee.
• Probiotic Guidelines:
  • Emphasized the need to update FAO/WHO probiotic guidelines, which are two decades old.
  • Highlighted the lack of international harmonization in probiotic regulations affecting global trade.
  • Committee agreed to revisit guidelines and requested FAO and WHO to conduct a literature review on probiotics.
• Discussion on Sweetness Assessment:
  • Disagreed with the EU’s sensory testing proposal for carbohydrate sources in Follow-up Formula, citing lack of scientific validation.
  • Supported by USA, Canada, and others; this led to the committee discontinuing the topic for now.
  • Noted that ISO 5495 or other methods could be used in the absence of harmonized methods.
• Delegation:
  • Included representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Women and Child Development.
  • Advocated for various food safety, consumer health, and trade-related issues.
• Outcome:
  • India’s suggestions were officially incorporated into the final report, significantly influencing global food safety and nutrition standards.
• Additional Announcements:
  • FAO/WHO plans for a Joint Statement on Healthy Diet Principles.
  • Updates on reviewing benefits and risks of Alternative Animal Source Foods (A-ASFs).
  • FAO introduced a new “Food and Diet” domain on its FAOSTAT database.