Beginning of article  A somewhat obscure international
commission--the Codex Alimentarius Commission--that sets food
safety guidelines based on science has recently become another
arena for trade disputes. Arguments about scientific
uncertainties relating to food safety and efforts to bring non-
scientific concerns into the consultations threaten to
politicize decision-making and undermine the work of the
commission.  The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an
international organization virtually unknown to the general
public. Nevertheless, while Codex works in the shadow of more
prominent U.N. organizations, the impact of its work is felt by
consumers everyday. The name "Codex Alimentarius" itself
explains the general purpose of the Commission's work--a code
for food. The origins of the code go back to a collection of
food standards assembled during 1897 and 1911 in the Austro-
Hungarian Empire and used as a legal reference by the courts.
Currently the commission deals with a wide range of food issues
--from label