MVV150K Contemporary Issues in Food Policy & Law

Faculty of Law
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
0/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Naomi Salmon (seminar tutor), doc. JUDr. Jiří Valdhans, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Jiří Valdhans, Ph.D.
Department of International and European Law – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Department of International and European Law – Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV150K/01: Mon 28. 4. 13:30–15:00 316, 16:40–18:10 215, Tue 29. 4. 15:05–16:35 211, 18:15–19:45 215, Wed 30. 4. 13:30–15:00 208, 16:40–18:10 133
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the end of the course students should be able to:
1. Display a knowledge and understanding of the underlying rationale and methodology of this broad field of EU policy and law and the tensions that exist therein;
2. Critically evaluate and test arguments relating to the need for, and value of, an over-arching system of supra-national governance in this field and the influence exerted by EU law over MS domestic law in this field;
3. Critically engage with and evaluate arguments relating to the role of law in mediating complex and potentially conflicting stakeholder interests - particularly in the context of high profile food crises and politically and economically sensitive technologies such as agri-food biotechnology;
4. Locate and evaluate the relevant literature and materials in this field and use them in critical discussion of the aspects of food ecology and law studied in the module;
5. Present critical and well informed argument relating to the development and influence of European food policy and law with reference to specific 'contemporary issues.
Syllabus
  • Part 1
  • The first three sessions will offer a general introduction to the key issues that make food policy and law such an importance field of study, before moving on to provide an overview of regional EU and international good governance systems.
  • Session 1: Why talk about food?
  • This introductory lecture will look at why the food system is now such an important area for study:
  • • Overview of the ecological, economic and social impacts of the globalised food market.
  • • Brief account of the historical roots of food policy and law in the UK.
  • Session 2: The Architecture of Food Policy and Law – The EU Landscape Lecture: An overview of the evolution and architecture of EU food policy and law.
  • This lecture will move on to look at how EU food governance has evolved over time. How have we arrived at the comprehensive food governance system that we now have? How have competing stakeholder interests been mediated, and how have policy priorities shifted, over time?
  • Session 3: The Architecture of Food Policy and Law – The International Landscape
  • Lecture: International governance and the food chain: from farm to table.
  • This lecture provides students with an introduction to international trade law as it relates to the food sector. The aim here will be to provide students with a sense of the legal landscape - the major trade agreements and key bodies that govern the free movement of foodstuffs around the global marketplace, and how this ties in with regional EU food governance.
  • Part 2
  • The second half of this short course will give students the opportunity to look into a number of ‘contemporary issues’ in a little more depth in order to gain a better understanding of how EU and domestic governance work in practice, on the front-lines of the marketplace. The aim will be to explore the various pressures that drive EU policy and law across the food sector – from farm to table. How have major food-related controversies and crises been addressed at EU level? How does ‘the system’ negotiate and accommodate competing stakeholder interests? How confident can we be that our key consumer interests – in food safety, quality and choice - are adequately protected under EU law?
  • Session 4 Contemporary Issues: Part 1
  • Lecture: Food Production & the Issue of Risk This session will look at the highly controversial and emotive topic of the use of so called ‘new technologies’ in food production. Here students will learn about the development and marketing of genetically modified food, the issue of cloned livestock for food use, and also food related applications of nanotechnologies. The session will focus primarily on the highly important issue of risk and how the rapid commercial development of these new technologies, alongside continued disagreement over their associated risks creates significant challenges for regulators.
  • Session 5 Contemporary Issues: Part 2
  • Lecture: Food Quality, Consumer Choice & Public Health This lecture will move beyond fundamental issues of food safety to consider the broader interests and rights of the consumer. Students will learn about recent developments in EU food labelling law that enhance consumers’ ability to make informed choices about the food they consume. Key issues of concern to consumers such as concerns about the authenticity and provenance of food – evidenced via traceability and labelling requirements – will be discussed in this session.
  • Session 6 Contemporary Issues: Part 3
  • Lecture: Food waste This final lecture will look at the end of the supply chain. Food waste has become a major problem in recent years. It is estimated that between 30 and 40% of the food produced globally is wasted for one reason or another. What are the reasons behind this and what is being done about it? This session will also touch upon the issue of food poverty and the fundamental human right to adequate food.
Literature
  • The Study materials will be distributed to the students before and during the course.
Teaching methods
Traditional lectures with some mixed media material to add a bit of variety (such as short videos produced by the European Commission, EFSA and consumer / environmental lobby groups).
Assessment methods
An essay on the 'contemporary issues' covered in the course (approx. 2500 words)
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/spring2014/MVV150K