069 – Codex Alimentarius – Global Food Imperialism – My Interview with Scott Tips

What is Codex Alimentarius and why you should care.

Scott TipsThe Codex Alimentarius Commission is an international body created in 1963 under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for two main, stated purposes:  (1) Eliminating international barriers to food trade; and (2) Protecting consumers from unsafe foods.  To that end, Codex created various committees to develop food standards and guidelines for those foods and beverages each substantive committee was considering (some other committees were charged with developing measurement and general operating principles).

One of those committees was and still is known as the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.  This is the Committee that creates standards and guidelines for, among other things, vitamin-and-mineral supplements.  This is the Committee that wants to lower their potencies to near worthlessness, and so it has attracted the attention of health-freedom activists around the World.

When the National Health Federation – the World’s oldest health-freedom organization and the only one with a seat at the Codex table – first started attending Codex meetings in 1997, it did so just with the status of a news reporter.  Then, a few years later, the NHF started attending Codex meetings as a member of the U.S. Codex delegation, which was quickly followed by actual status granted by Codex to NHF as an International Nongovernmental Observer (INGO).

INGO status at Codex allows NHF to attend all meetings, speak out at the meetings, submit written documents to the other delegates, and interact in real time with the delegates.  At first NHF’s rather “radical” and unique position promoting health freedom was seen as a hindrance by other delegates to their global agenda to create restrictive food standards and guidelines that were to be applied both internationally and domestically.  And, in fact, it still is by some; but an increasing number of delegates now respect and even support NHF’s pro-health-freedom positions at these meetings.

The National Health Federation

National Health FederationEstablished in 1955, the National Health Federation is an international nonprofit, consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to protect individuals’ rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements, and use alternative therapies without government restrictions. With consumer members all over the world, and a Board of Governors and Advisory Board containing representatives from 7 different countries, the Federation is unique as being not only the World’s oldest health-freedom organization for consumers but the only one accredited by Codex to attend and speak out at meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the highest international body on food standards.

About Scott Tips

A legal columnist, Scott writes a monthly column for Whole Foods Magazine called “Legal Tips,” a column he started many years ago.  Currently, he is primarily occupied with health-freedom issues arising from national governments’ and such international organizations as the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s attempts to limit individual freedom of choice in health matters.  In that capacity, he has compiled, edited, and published a book on the subject entitled Codex Alimentarius – Global Food Imperialism. He also attends Codex meetings worldwide and has attended more Codex meetings than any other health-freedom activist.

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