In 1976 a Coordinating Committee for Latin America, established by the 10th Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in 1974, held its first meeting in Rome with eight countries from the region in attendance. At its third session a proposal was made to change the name of the Committee to its current form, Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC), as this better reflected the membership of the region. In 1984 at its 31st session, the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, acting on behalf of the Commission, agreed to this change.

The CCLAC region is important to the production and trade of food at a global level. The region produces enough food to supply itself and to export, with both water and land resources to produce even more.

The region has enormous natural wealth, a flourishing agricultural industry and a family farming sector that is essential for its population. The promotion and strengthening of food safety must be continued at the level of all regions to guarantee the health of consumers and fair and equitable trade.

Coordinator: Uruguay

Uruguay, through the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, is the current CCLAC coordinator. In this role, Uruguay promotes the inclusive and sustained participation of the countries of the region in the work of Codex, fostering technical dialogue, regional cooperation and consensus building.

In line with the objectives of the Codex Strategic Plans, including the periods 2020–2025 and 2026–2031, Uruguay actively collaborates to achieve regional goals. This is achieved through capacity building, promoting the use of Codex texts, providing technical support to Member Countries, and coordinating with international organizations. In addition, Uruguay promotes the need to address emerging challenges in food safety and quality, promoting integrative approaches such as ‘One Health’ and more effective participation by developing countries in CAC and its subsidiary bodies.