**Executive Summary**
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted three global standards for large cardamom, coriander, and vanilla during its 49th Session in Geneva (July 6–10, 2026). These standards, finalized by the India-hosted Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, establish harmonized international quality benchmarks to facilitate smoother trade and enhance India's export competitiveness. Additionally, India was appointed as Co-Chair of a new Electronic Working Group (EWG) focused on risk analysis for new food products.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Adoption of Global Spice Standards**
* **New Standards:** Global quality standards were officially adopted for large cardamom, coriander, and vanilla.
* **Development Process:** These standards were finalized during the Eighth Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) in Guwahati in October 2025.
* **Regulatory Endorsement:** The standards received technical endorsement from committees specializing in Food Labelling (CCFL), Food Additives (CCFA), and Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) before final adoption.
**India’s Strategic Leadership**
* **Committee Hosting:** India hosts the CCSCH, with the Spices Board of India serving as its Secretariat.
* **International Roles:** India has been appointed as Co-Chair of the newly formed Electronic Working Group (EWG) on risk analysis for new food products, serving alongside the European Union (Chair).
* **Technical Expertise:** The document highlights India’s growing leadership and technical expertise in developing science-based international food standards.
**Trade and Quality Objectives**
* **Market Consistency:** The standards aim to harmonize quality requirements across global markets to promote fair trade practices and protect consumer health.
* **Export Enhancement:** For large cardamom (indigenous to India's North-Eastern Himalayan region) and coriander, the standards are designed to improve global market access and competitiveness.
* **Import Framework:** While India imports vanilla, the new Codex standard provides a quality framework to strengthen consumer confidence and ensure trade consistency.
**Impact Analysis**
**Indian Spice Producers and Exporters**
**Impact**
They gain improved market access and enhanced export competitiveness due to the alignment of Indian spices with globally recognized quality benchmarks.
**Action Required**
Exporters must ensure their products meet the newly adopted international harmonized quality requirements for large cardamom, coriander, and vanilla.
**The Spices Board of India**
**Impact**
The Board’s role is elevated as a key international coordinator through its position as the Secretariat for the CCSCH.
**Action Required**
The Board must continue its administrative and technical support for the CCSCH and fulfill its new responsibilities as Co-Chair of the EWG on risk analysis.
**Global Consumers**
**Impact**
Consumers benefit from strengthened food safety and quality protections backed by science-based international standards.
**Action Required**
No specific action is required, though consumers will rely on these standards for increased confidence in the quality of spices in international trade.
Key Entities Referenced
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC): The international food standards body established by FAO and WHO that adopted the new global quality benchmarks for spices.
Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH): An India-hosted commodity committee responsible for finalizing the international standards for large cardamom, coriander, and vanilla.
Spices Board: The Indian statutory body that serves as the Secretariat for the CCSCH and facilitates the development of international spice standards.
Electronic Working Group (EWG) on risk analysis: A newly constituted body tasked with developing policy guidance for new food products, where India serves as Co-Chair.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
India Achieves Major Milestone at Codex
Commission with Adoption of Three Global
Standards for Spices
Standards for Large Cardamom, Coriander and Vanilla
Finalised by India-Hosted Codex Committee Adopted by
Codex Commission
New Codex Standards for Spices to Enhance Market Access
and Boost India's Export Competitiveness
प्रव तथ: 16 JUL 2026 7:00PM by PIB Delhi
India achieved a significant milestone in international food standard-setting with the adoption of three
Codex standards for large cardamom, coriander and vanilla at the Forty-Ninth Session of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC49), held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 6 to 10 July 2026. The
Commission also accepted India's request to serve as Co-Chair of a newly constituted Electronic Working
Group (EWG) on risk analysis for new food products, reflecting the country's growing leadership in the
development of international food standards.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), established jointly by the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), is the international body responsible for
developing science-based food safety and quality standards to protect consumer health and ensure fair
practices in the food trade.
India plays a key role in Codex activities by hosting the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs
(CCSCH), one of the five Codex commodity committees, with the Spices Board serving as its Secretariat.
The standards for large cardamom, coriander and vanilla were finalised during the Eighth Session of the
CCSCH, held in Guwahati in October 2025. They were subsequently endorsed by the Codex Committee
on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS), the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and
the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) in their respective areas of competence before being
adopted by the Commission.
The newly adopted standards establish harmonised international quality benchmarks for these spices and
are expected to facilitate smoother trade by promoting consistency in quality requirements across global
markets. For India, one of the world's leading producers and exporters of large cardamom and coriander,
the standards are expected to improve market access, promote fair trade practices and enhance export
competitiveness.
The adoption of the Codex Standard for Large Cardamom is particularly significant as the crop is
indigenous to the North-Eastern Himalayan region of India. The Codex Standard for Coriander is also
important in view of India's position as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of the spice.While India currently imports a substantial proportion of its vanilla requirement, the Codex Standard for
Vanilla provides a globally accepted quality framework that will support consistency in international trade
and strengthen consumer confidence.
During the session, the Commission established an Electronic Working Group (EWG) to develop policy
guidance on risk analysis for new food products, with the European Union serving as Chair. India's request
to serve as Co-Chair of the EWG was accepted, reflecting the country's increasing technical expertise and
active contribution to the development of international food standards.
These developments reaffirm India's commitment to advancing science-based international food standards,
promoting fair trade, safeguarding consumer interests and enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian
agricultural and food products.
***
Abhishek Dayal/ Abhijith Narayanan/ Ishita Biswas
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2285471) आगंतुक पटल : 1442
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही , Marathi , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam