Codex Alimentarius sets UN food safety standards as a joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization program. Scott is an example of what one person can do to turn the tide of discussion at the right time. ? TN Editor

Styled as "CAC42," the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) met in its 42nd session in Geneva, Switzerland this past week of July 8-12, 2019, and I attended the meeting as the National Health Federation's sole delegate. Populated with 632 participants, this was a large meeting, but one carefully shepherded by CAC Chairman Guilherme Antonio da Costa, Jr. of Brazil and efficiently run by a small platoon of professionals fielded by the Codex Secretariat.

As always, the main object of this meeting was to adopt (approve) all of the food standards and any guidelines already considered and adopted by the subsidiary (lower-level) Codex committees during their own meetings since the previous CAC41 session. And there were plenty to adopt: cadmium levels in chocolate, milk additives, a slew of pesticide levels, lead levels in wines and other commodities, and even quinoa grain size, among numerous others.