Bernd van der Meulen – författare

Food which nanotechnology has impacted or to which nanotechnology is applied is referred to as nanofood.  From treatment of the soil in which a crop plant is grown to the caring of a food, nanotechnology is a growing factor in the food supply. At this point, however, there is no definitive, effective global method for regulating the use of nanotechnology as it relates to the food suply.Legislation on nanotechnologies is still evolving, as is understanding what data is needed for effective, efficient and appropriate risk assessment associated with nanotechnology impacted foods. Due to the emerging nature of nanotechnology and its role in the food supply, case-by-case studies are the current norm, but the need for wide-scale testing and broad-based regulatory standards is urgent.This project is based on an EFFoST study designed to provide a comparative study of nanofood regulations in order to guide regulation development in this rapidly expanding market.

In this Concise Encyclopedia, an international team of experts explore the fundamental concepts of contemporary food law. Multijurisdictional entries trace how food law plays an important role in society and culture at large.Written by authors with backgrounds in academia, the public sector and the private sector, this science-based Encyclopedia analyses the legal elements of the food industry from a broad range of standpoints. Encompassing issues such as allergen labelling, comparative food law, consumer protection, and deforestation, entries illustrate the many legal elements of food production and processes.The Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Food Law is a vital reference for scholars and students of consumer law and public international law. Practitioners and policymakers in the field will also benefit from its valuable insights, as well as international food agencies and NGOs.Key Features:87 entries written by international authorsEntries cover sustainability and international law as well as enforcement and principles in relation to food lawFills a gap in the literature in this recently developed disciplineDraws from multiple areas of study, including administrative, criminal, international, public, and private lawOutlines food law’s relation to legislation on health and safety, emerging regulations, and product recall, as well as geopolitical and trade influences

The food sector is the third most regulated industry in the EU. It is the most important production sector, but its competitiveness and innovativeness are under pressure.This book reports on a legal research into the question if there is a connection between the sector’s declining innovativeness and competitiveness on the one hand and the increasing regulatory burden on the other hand. The aim is to indicate opportunities to remove avoidable obstacles for the food industry in general and small and medium enterprises in particular.The book brings to light several shortcomings in the regulatory framework and makes concrete recommendations for simplifying and improving EU food legislation. The findings are based on fundamental legal analyses. They are combined with the following three empirical case studies:-premarket approval schemes, for novel foods in particular;-the application of the EU food hygiene package in the dairy sector in selected regions in Italy and France; and-private standards in the Dutch dairy sector.The book shows that compliance by the EU legislator and authorities with EU food law principles and requirements is key to improving the position of food businesses.

There is no one in this world who would deny the importance of access to adequate food for every human being. In fact, access to food has been declared a human right in 1948 with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In spite of the right to food to be more than half a century old, many are not aware, misunderstand or even marginalize this human right. This book serves two purposes and many audiences. First, it is meant for those who want to get a better understanding of the right to food and how this right has been developed in international law. Second, it also explains why this human right has been marginalized by one of the richest countries in the world: the Netherlands. As such this unique collection of articles provides an exciting view on the making of law and policy, with contributions from lawyers, sociologists and human rights defenders.

Since the turn of the Millennium, world-wide initiatives from the private sector have turned the regulatory environment for food businesses upside down. For the first time in legal literature this book analyses private law initiatives relating to the food chain, often referred to as private (voluntary) standards or schemes.Private standards are used to remedy flaws in legislation, in order to reach higher levels of consumer protection than the ones chosen by the EU legislature and to manage risks and liability beyond the traditional limits of food businesses. We see that litigation is no longer solely framed by legislative requirements, but ever more by private standards such as GlobalGAP, BRC, IFS, SQF and ISO. These private standards incorporate public law requirements thus embedding them in contractual relations and exporting them beyond the jurisdiction of public legislators. Other standards focus on corporate social responsibility or sustainability. This book also addresses how private religious standards such as Kosher and Halal play a role in defining specific markets of growing importance. It is noted that organic standards have found an interesting symbioses with public law.Another development on this topic is that food businesses are inspected more often by private auditors than by public inspectors. Effects in terms of receiving or being denied certification far outweigh public law sanctions. In short private law has changed an entire legal infrastructure for the food sector. It emerges as competing with the public law regulatory infrastructure.This book is of interest to all who concern themselves with food law legislation and litigation and the evolving role of private standards on changing the landscape of food chains and innovation.