The work of the Committees on general issues is related to the work of the committees on foodstuff products. They coordinate their activities in the development of standards for all products and their further adoption. The committees for general principles are also known as Horizontal committees. There are nine committees of this type:

Committee on general principles,
Codex Committee on Food Labeling,
Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling,
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene,
Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues,
Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants,
Codex Committee on Import/Export Inspection and Certification systems,
Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses,
Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food.