FOOD-PACKAGING, INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS RELATED TO FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY, AND TRADE

International tr ade is subject to the Final Act of the Uruguay Round Multilateral Trade Negotiations Agreement on the Application of Sanita ry and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement) and Agreement on Tec hnical Barriers to Trade (the TBT Agreement). These Agreements, the pu rpose of which is the freeing up of trade and the removal of restraint s to the greatest extent possible, affect all countries that are membe rs of the World Trade Organization, and have an impact upon all countr ies that are exporters. Trade in food is subject to these rules, which include provision for countries to apply safety and quality measures to protect the consumer. Such consumer protection measures extend to a ll aspects of food, including its packaging. The SPS and TBT Agreement s press for 'harmonization' based upon the adoption of standards devel oped by international standards setting bodies and require countries t o participate in their work. The relevant body with respect to food sa fety and quality measures is the Coder Alimentarius Commission, which is implemented by the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The work of the Coder Alimentarius Commission in harmonization within the cont ext of food packaging and the rules applying to world trade is discuss ed.