Food Systems & the Environment Law

A complex web of agricultural and food laws substantially influences what ends up on our plates, and ultimately affects the health of individuals, communities, and their ecosystems. These policies, and the regulatory mechanisms supporting them, play a vital role in determining health outcomes for the public and the environment. In the context of these policies, the course will cover the federal regulatory framework for food, administered primarily by the Food and Drug Administration; the history of this framework, its basic requirements, goals, and costs and benefits; the central provisions against labeling (misbranding), food fraud and unsafe food (adulteration); the role of administrative law in food regulation; food safety, foodborne diseases and the Food Safety Modernization Act; organic certification under the Organic Foods Production Act and other eco-labeling schemes; the regulation of genetically engineered foods; and the debate about food systems and sustainability.