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Is Codex Alimentarius All Talk? The Importance of Standards in Transnational Food Governance

2014; Springer International Publishing; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-3-319-04373-9_7

2214-2045

Chris Downes,

Global trade, sustainability, and social impact

The SPS Agreement has formally elevated the importance of Codex Alimentarius as a reference point for domestic food regulations. However, the actual influence of this standard-setting body on national policy-making has not been closely examined. This chapter seeks to enrich understanding of the substantive impact of transnational food governance by tracing the uptake of international standards across domestic legislation worldwide. It first draws on the work of international relations scholars to develop a conceptual framework for analysing transnational norm dissemination. It then analyses Codex's standard-setting in two contested areas of food policy: food additives, and vitamin and mineral supplements. After explaining the history and controversies of Codex's work in each area, it uses the framework developed to characterise national regulatory responses to international standards. A complex picture emerges: the levels of attention paid to international norms are shown to vary widely across both countries and issues. The study confirms that substantive standards can contribute importantly to domestic regulations, but their influence is neither automatic nor uniform.