The 7th session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) was held from 29th January 2024 to 2nd February 2024 at Kochi. After the Covid-19 pandemic, CCSCH7 was the first session of this committee to be conducted physically. 109 delegates from 31 countries attended the session. 

CCSCH7 achieved excellent results. In this session, quality standards for 5 spices, namely small cardamom, turmeric, juniper berry, allpice and star anise were finalised.

CCSCH has forwarded these five standards to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) recommending for adoption at final Step 8 as full-fledged Codex standards.

For the first time ever in this committee, the strategy of grouping of spices was successfully implemented. In this manner the committee finalised the first group standard for ‘spices derived from fruits and berries’ (covering 3 spices, viz, juniper berry, allspice and star anise)  in the present session. 

The draft standard for vanilla progressed to step 5 and would be subjected to one more round of scrutiny by member countries before being taken up for discussion in the next session of the committee.

Proposals for development of Codex standards for Dried Coriander Seeds, Large Cardamom, Sweet Marjoram and Cinnamon were put before the committee and were accepted. The committee will work on draft standards for these four spices in its forthcoming editions. 

The 7 th session of CCSCH witnessed participation of a large number of Latin American countries for the first time. 

The next meeting of the Committee will be conducted after a period of 18 months. 

During the interim, electronic working groups (EWGs) chaired by various countries will continue the process of  multinational consultation,  aimed at developing the  standards, relying on science based evidence.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC),  jointly established by FAO and WHO, is an international, intergovernmental body with membership of over 194 countries, which is based in Rome and is tasked with formulating internationally accepted standards pertaining to human food. 

The CAC conducts its work through various Codex committees, including the CCSCH, hosted by different member countries. 

The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) was established as one of the Commodity Committees under the  Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in 2013.  India  hosts this prestigious Committee since the beginning and Spices Board India serves as the Secretariat organization which organizes the Committee's sessions. 

The standards of CAC are recognized by the WTO as  international reference points for the resolution of trade disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection. The standards developed by the Committees under the CAC, including the CCSCH, are voluntary in nature, which the member countries of the CAC adopt and use as reference standards to align their national standards. The works of CAC contribute to harmonization of food standards across the globe, facilitate fair global trade in food, and enhance food safety to safeguard the health of global consumers.

Codex standards for spices expand international food safety benchmarks, enabling harmonised trade and national reference use. The committee finalised quality standards for five spices and forwarded them to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption, implemented a grouping strategy by producing a group standard for spices derived from fruits and berries, advanced the vanilla draft to the next review step, and agreed to develop standards for four additional spices while continuing multinational consultation through electronic working groups.