The 48th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the world’s apex food standards-setting body established by FAO and WHO, convened from 10–14 November 2025 to adopt a new slate of global benchmarks aimed at strengthening consumer safety, improving food quality, and ensuring fair practices in international food trade. Over six decades, Codex has shaped the backbone of global food governance through thousands of standards, guidelines, and codes of practice. This year’s session continued that legacy with the adoption of several influential updates spanning food additives, contaminants, pesticide residue analysis, and commodity-specific standards.

One of the key outcomes included significant updates to the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA, CXS 192-1995). More than 500 food additive provisions underwent rigorous review, with a focused reassessment of colour usage across food categories. Several provisions were revoked, such as annatto extracts, bixin-based (INS 160b(i)) in fermented plain milks, while others were newly approved, including annatto extracts, norbixin-based (INS 160b(ii)) in canned or pasteurized fruit products. Some provisions remain under scientific scrutiny, including the use of erythrosine (INS 127) in canned raspberries and strawberries. The revisions reinforce Codex’s commitment to ensuring only safe, technologically justified additives remain in the global food system.

The Commission also adopted a revised Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanuts (CXC 55-2004). Aflatoxins are among the most potent naturally occurring carcinogens, with severe acute, chronic, genetic, and immunosuppressive impacts. First adopted over twenty years ago, the Code has now been comprehensively updated to reflect new scientific insights. The revisions include a detailed table outlining peanut reproductive growth stages to guide optimal harvesting, an expanded scope that now covers feed due to peanut by-products entering animal feed channels, and a new section detailing how roasting processes can significantly reduce aflatoxin levels. These improvements are aimed at reducing contamination risks across the supply chain—from field to manufacturing—ensuring safer peanuts for consumers globally.

In a major step toward protecting human health, Codex established new maximum levels (MLs) for lead in spices and culinary herbs. Lead exposure is linked to serious health risks such as decreased IQ and attention span in children, impaired renal function, cardiovascular disease, reduced fertility, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. While spices and herbs are consumed in small quantities, their contamination has global trade implications. The Commission has now adopted MLs of 2.5 mg/kg for dried bark spices such as cinnamon and 2.0 mg/kg for dried culinary herbs. These limits will be incorporated into the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CXS 193-1995), helping harmonize global trade while enhancing consumer protection.

Another notable milestone was the adoption of new guidelines for monitoring the purity and stability of pesticide reference materials and related stock solutions during prolonged storage. These materials are vital for laboratories conducting pesticide residue testing to ensure compliance with regulatory limits. The new guidelines provide a robust scientific framework for assessing whether reference materials remain stable and pure enough for continued use beyond their original expiry dates. This development reduces recurring laboratory costs, addresses supply-chain constraints, minimizes wastage, and ensures confidence in global pesticide residue monitoring systems.

After a decade of technical deliberation, Codex also adopted a new international Standard for Fresh Dates. With rapidly expanding global trade and growing importance for producer countries, the new standard aims to protect consumers and enable smoother trade flows. It establishes consistent quality parameters covering size, colour, shape, uniformity, and packaging, ensuring fresh dates traded internationally meet agreed-upon benchmarks for safety and quality.

The Commission further approved a regional standard for Castilla lulo (Naranjilla), a nutrient-rich fruit native to the Andean region and increasingly traded within Latin America and the Caribbean. The standard outlines minimum quality requirements, permissible defects, packaging information, and hygiene provisions to support safe consumption and fair trade. Given its regional significance, the standard was adopted specifically for Latin America and the Caribbean, reflecting Codex’s commitment to meeting local market needs while supporting broader harmonization.

With its latest set of standards and guidelines, the Codex Alimentarius Commission reinforces its central role in shaping the global food safety architecture. These updates underscore the ongoing commitment of FAO and WHO to ensure that food systems worldwide remain safe, transparent, and science-driven—anchoring consumer trust and enabling equitable trade.