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Continuing Legal Barriers to International Food Trade

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International Food Law and Policy

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Abstract

International trade in food has been ongoing for millennia. However, despite the activities of certain global organisations whose aim is to harmonise food standards to ensure free trade, there are numerous barriers to trade that occur worldwide. These include inconsistencies in food legislation between countries or regions; inconsistencies in agricultural and production practices; barriers relating to the accepted composition of, and ingredients in, foods; differences in acceptance of new technologies, such as food irradiation, genetic modification and nanotechnology; and health risk scares owing to contamination, adulteration or communicable diseases. Whilst the need for a fully harmonised global trade in food has not been disputed, the reality is that it is not likely to be achieved within the next two decades.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1301.0 (2000).

  2. 2.

    Codex and the International Food Trade, FAO Corporate Document repository available (2013).

  3. 3.

    Codex and the International Food Trade, FAO Corporate Document repository available (2013).

  4. 4.

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Food Summit – Rome Declaration on Food Security (1996).

  5. 5.

    Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom Food Statistics Year Book (2011).

  6. 6.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on food. Official Journal of the EU. L404 of December 30, 2006.

  7. 7.

    Codex Alimentarius, Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and health Claims, CAC/GL 23 (1997).

  8. 8.

    Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) Codex STAN 192-1995 as amended (2014).

  9. 9.

    The Regulation of rBST: the European case, AgBio Forum, 3(2 and 3), 164–172 (2000).

  10. 10.

    European Council Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 laying down a Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin. Official Journal of the EU. L 224 of August 18, 1990.

  11. 11.

    European Commission, Commission proposes ban on market release and use of BST in the Union as of 1st January 2000, EC Press release No IP/99/758 (1999).

  12. 12.

    World Health Organization, Genetically Modified Food (2014).

  13. 13.

    Institute of Food Science and Technology UK, Addition of Micronutrients to Food (1997).

  14. 14.

    The Case of the FlavrSavr tomato. California Agriculture, 54, (4) 6–7 (2000).

  15. 15.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed. Official Journal of the EU. L 268 of October 18, 2003.

  16. 16.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 concerning the traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and the traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC. Official Journal of the EU. L 268 of October 18, 2003.

  17. 17.

    Zambia bans GM Food Aid, New Scientist, October 30, 2002.

  18. 18.

    Zambia and Genetically Modified Food Aid. Case study # 4-4 of the program: Food policy for developing countries: The role of the government in the global food system (2007).

  19. 19.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives. Official Journal of the EU. L 354 of December 31, 2008.

  20. 20.

    Cyclamate sweeteners, JAMA 25;236(17):1987–9 (1976).

  21. 21.

    European Parliament and Council Directive 96/83/EC amending Directive 94/35/EC on sweeteners for use in foodstuffs. Official Journal of the EU. L 48 of February 19, 1997.

  22. 22.

    United States General Accounting Office, Food and Drug Administration Food Additive Approval Process Followed for Aspartame (1987).

  23. 23.

    Ensuring the Safety of Sweeteners from Stevia, Food Technology 65(4):42–49 (2011).

  24. 24.

    European Commission Regulation (EU) No 1131/2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to steviol glycosides. Official Journal of the EU. L 295 of November 12, 2011.

  25. 25.

    European Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Official Journal of the EU. L 83 of March 22, 2012.

  26. 26.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 258/97 concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients. Official Journal of the EU. L 43 of February 14, 1997.

  27. 27.

    How U.S. FDAs GRAS Notification Program Works, Food Safety Magazine (December 2005/January 2006).

  28. 28.

    Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code—Standard 1.5.1—Novel Foods. Federal Register of Legislative Instruments F2013C00142. Issue 139 (2013).

  29. 29.

    Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (948—Novel Foods). Canada Gazette Part II, Vol. 133 No. 22 of October 27, 1999.

  30. 30.

    Administrative Measures for Safety Review of New Food Materials. National Health and Family Planning Commission Decree No. 1. May 31, 2013.

  31. 31.

    Dietary Supplement and Health & Education Act. Public Law 103-147; 108 stat. 4325-4335 103d Congress 2nd Session (October 15, 1994).

  32. 32.

    European Parliament and Council Directive 1999/2/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning foods and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation. Official Journal of the EU. L 66 of March 13, 1999.

  33. 33.

    Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Conventions on Biological Diversity. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2000).

  34. 34.

    Nanotechnology in Foods – A European Perspective, International Review of Food Science and Technology, International Union of Food Science and Technology (2008).

  35. 35.

    Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties. The Royal Society & The Royal Academy of Engineering (2004).

  36. 36.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. Official Journal of the EU. L 304 of November 22, 2011.

  37. 37.

    Considering whether an FDA-Regulated Product involves the Application of Nanotechnology—Guidance for Industry (2011).

  38. 38.

    The Office of the United States Trade Representative, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) (2013).

  39. 39.

    European Commission, The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (2014).

  40. 40.

    Animal/Plant Health Inspection Service, Bovine and Spongiform Encephalopathy—An Overview, United States Department of Agriculture (2006).

  41. 41.

    The origin of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: the human prion disease hypothesis. Lancet 366 (9488) 856–61 (2005).

  42. 42.

    Estimation of epidemic size and incubation time based on age characteristics of vCJD in the United Kingdom. Science 294 (5547), 1726–8 (2001).

  43. 43.

    Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Canadian Beef Imports. CRS (USA) Report for Congress No RL 32627, March 11, 2005.

  44. 44.

    Center for Disease Control, BSE Cases in North America, by Year and Country of Death, (1993–2008). Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services (2008).

  45. 45.

    Background Paper on Occurrence of Melamine in Foods and Feed. Prepared for World Health Organization Expert Meeting on Toxicological and Health Aspects of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid (2009).

  46. 46.

    Enzyme Technical Association, Statement on Chloramphenicol Contamination of Enzyme Preparations, November 4, 2013.

  47. 47.

    European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety. Official Journal of the EU. L 31 of February 1, 2002.

  48. 48.

    European Commission Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

  49. 49.

    Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards.

  50. 50.

    World Trade Organization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Berry Ottaway & Associates Ltd, Hereford, UK

    Peter Berry-Ottaway & Sam Jennings

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  1. Peter Berry-Ottaway
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  2. Sam Jennings
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Correspondence to Peter Berry-Ottaway .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Food Law International, LLP, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Gabriela Steier

  2. Food Law International, LLP, Washington, DC, USA

    Kiran K. Patel

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Berry-Ottaway, P., Jennings, S. (2016). Continuing Legal Barriers to International Food Trade. In: Steier, G., Patel, K. (eds) International Food Law and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07542-6_8

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