The Global Arena of Food Law: Emerging Contours of a Meta-Framework

Abstract

Food is one of the most regulated social and economic sectors. At the global level several organisations such as the UN, FAO, WHO, the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the WTO play a role in food governance through formulating and enforcing rules regarding production, manufacturing, trade and distribution. These rules are based on a variety of motives such as protecting human rights, promoting health, ensuring food security, ensuring food safety, promoting fair or free trade, dealing with incidents and promoting economic development. Despite the variety in sources and motives generally these rules seem to reinforce rather than contradict each other. In this sense a global system of food law seems to be emerging. Among other things, this system puts emphasis on the role of science through the risk analysis methodology. At closer inspection the global system of food law appears not to address stakeholders’ behaviour regarding food, but rather the national regulatory frameworks addressing such behaviour. In this way global food law is a meta-framework for the food sector.