For the first time, the baking industry has been given a global reference for what baker’s yeast actually is.
This includes its properties, composition, microbiological parameters, and nutritional information.
The inaugural international standard dedicated to baker’s yeast was formally approved in Geneva last week at the 49th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a global organisation created by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization that helps define what is safe and acceptable to trade in specific commodities.
As a common definition spanning all markets worldwide, the new baker’s yeast Codex standard allows UK bakers to work from the same technical basis as everyone else, which in turn supports quality assurance, reduces friction in cross-border trade, and gives buyers and regulators a shared benchmark regardless of origin.
Representatives from the Confederation of EU Yeast Producers (COFALEC) – including its only British member, the UK Association of Producers of Yeast – were among the experts directly involved in the Codex drafting. Their commitment ensured that the distinctive strengths of European yeast production were not only represented but fully embedded in the final international standard, noted COFALEC.
Described as a milestone in the baking industry, the Codex standard builds on last September’s publication of ISO standard 23983:2025 which specifies characteristics of living fresh and dry baker’s yeast. Together, these two complementary frameworks now provide the global yeast sector with a robust and coherent international foundation, covering both technical product characteristics and food safety requirements, added COFALEC.
“A market that speaks a single language is inherently more transparent, fair, and competitive,” commented Carlotta Trucillo, secretary general of COFALEC. “When this shared language is built upon the highest quality standards, it serves as an ultimate guarantee of safety for consumers worldwide.”
Other Codex standards already exist for commodities such as dairy products; fruits and vegetables; fish; fats and oils; cereals, pulses and legumes; sugars; cocoa products; and vegetable proteins.
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