India Secures Adoption of Three Codex Standards for Large Cardamom, Coriander and Vanilla at CAC49

📌 Summary:

• India secured the adoption of three Codex standards — for large cardamom, coriander and vanilla — at the 49th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC49), held in Geneva, 6–10 July 2026
• India was also accepted as Co-Chair of a newly constituted Electronic Working Group (EWG) on risk analysis for new food products (the European Union chairs it)
• The standards were finalised at the 8th session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) in Guwahati (October 2025); India hosts the CCSCH, with the Spices Board as its Secretariat
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established jointly by the FAO and WHO to set science-based food safety and quality standards protecting consumer health and fair trade
• Large cardamom is indigenous to India's North-Eastern Himalayan region; the new standards are expected to improve market access and export competitiveness for India, a leading producer/exporter of large cardamom and coriander

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2/GS3 – international standard-setting bodies, agricultural exports and India's growing influence in global food trade

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established jointly by the FAO and WHO
• India hosts the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH); the Spices Board is its Secretariat
• New standards adopted: large cardamom, coriander and vanilla

🔑 Key Term: Codex Alimentarius – the FAO-WHO collection of international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice for food safety and trade