EU Food Law Enforcement
Bernd van der Meulen (2018)
Enforcement of EU agri-food law. Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection product
ERA Forum, Vol. 19 issue 4, p. 623-641 (Springer)
A new Official Controls Regulation comes into force in the agri-food sector of the EU. This article analyses the Regulation from the perspective of the various stakeholders. It appears that the Regulation is mainly instrumental in nature. It provides a toolbox to competent authorities in the Member States. Instruments are provided for inspection and to rectify non-compliances. It is weaker in providing checks and balances to food businesses. It does protect whistle-blowers. Empowerment of victims and consumers is totally absent.
Bernd van der Meulen (2015)
Is current EU food safety law geared up for fighting food fraud?
Journal für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit, November 2015, Volume 10, Supplement 1, pp 19–23
Malicious intent appears to be a blind spot in European Union (EU) food safety law. The current system of law has been created in reaction to food safety incidents. As a consequence it has been designed to deal with accidental problems not with intentionally deceitful actions of people. The horsemeat scandal raised awareness to crime in the food chain. Can instruments of EU food safety law—recall in particular—be applied to deal with fraud? Different EU member states have answered this question differently in situations where the fraud has not caused the affected foods to be injurious to health. A closer look at food fraud shows that this concept covers a wide variety of actions. These actions have an intent to mislead in common but may differ in their effects on public health. The article argues that recall should be reserved to situations where food safety really is at stake and that to other situations of fraud financial instruments should be applied.
Bernd van der Meulen and Annelies Freriks (2006)
Millefeuille: The Emergence of a Multi-Layered Controls System in the European Food Sector
Utrecht Law Review, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 156-176, June 2006
More and more substances used in (the processing of) food as well as food products travel world wide and as a result the food production chain is becoming increasingly complex. It goes without saying that within a free European market, the safety of food products that reach the consumer at the end of the production chain depends entirely on the safety and control measures that are taken in all stages of the production process. Food crises have brought to light serious shortcomings in safety assurance and have made regulatory reform an important issue at European level over the past ten years. In order to re-establish public confidence in food supply, food science, food law and food controls, the European Commission initiated a major regulatory reform. This article goes into the restructuring of European food legislation as far as this affects food controls. The restructuring of European food law has resulted in a controls system in which recourse is had to a command and control system. The food sector is squeezed between four layers of controls. Although a heavily regulated system might seem logical in response to food safety crises the question arises whether this will ultimately prove to be the most effective way to safeguard food safety.
Bernd van der Meulen (2019)
Levensmiddelenrecht: coherentie en concurrentie in codificatie van bestuursrechtelijke handhaving
Tom Barkhuysen et al. (ed.) 25 jaar Awb In eenheid en verscheidenheid, Wolters Kluwer Deventer 2019, p. 371-384
De EU breidt de codificatie van handhaving van het levensmiddelenrecht door de lidstaten uit tot een steeds groter terrein van bijzonder agro-food-bestuursrecht. Deze sluipende codificatie concurreert in Nederland met hoofdstuk 5 van de Awb.
Bernd van der Meulen (2013)
Voedselvertrouwen komt te voet maar vliedt te paard: Over voedselfraude, misleiding van consumenten, bereiding van paarden, bestuurlijke handhaving, proportionaliteit, beleidsvrijheid, een stokpaardje, macht en een taskforce
VAR Michiels column 25 juli 2013
Deze column bespreekt de vraag hoe het recht, hoe de wetgever, moet omgaan met situaties waarin malafide ondernemers consumenten producten aansmeren door hen wijs te maken dat het iets anders is dan in werkelijkheid het geval is. Met de toenemende industrialisatie en de groeiende geografische afstand tussen producent en consument wordt het voor de consument steeds moeilijker zich een eigen oordeel te vormen over de precieze aard en gesteldheid van een product. Iedere bewerkingsstap biedt een mogelijkheid tot fraude. De consument, bijvoorbeeld, die koffiebonen koopt ziet het onmiddellijk wanneer er zand is bijgemengd. Wanneer de koffie is gemalen is dat al veel minder evident.
Bernd van der Meulen (2018)
Enforcement of EU agri-food law. Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection product
ERA Forum, Vol. 19 issue 4, p. 623-641 (Springer)
A new Official Controls Regulation comes into force in the agri-food sector of the EU. This article analyses the Regulation from the perspective of the various stakeholders. It appears that the Regulation is mainly instrumental in nature. It provides a toolbox to competent authorities in the Member States. Instruments are provided for inspection and to rectify non-compliances. It is weaker in providing checks and balances to food businesses. It does protect whistle-blowers. Empowerment of victims and consumers is totally absent.
Bernd van der Meulen (2015)
Is current EU food safety law geared up for fighting food fraud?
Journal für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit, November 2015, Volume 10, Supplement 1, pp 19–23
Malicious intent appears to be a blind spot in European Union (EU) food safety law. The current system of law has been created in reaction to food safety incidents. As a consequence it has been designed to deal with accidental problems not with intentionally deceitful actions of people. The horsemeat scandal raised awareness to crime in the food chain. Can instruments of EU food safety law—recall in particular—be applied to deal with fraud? Different EU member states have answered this question differently in situations where the fraud has not caused the affected foods to be injurious to health. A closer look at food fraud shows that this concept covers a wide variety of actions. These actions have an intent to mislead in common but may differ in their effects on public health. The article argues that recall should be reserved to situations where food safety really is at stake and that to other situations of fraud financial instruments should be applied.
Bernd van der Meulen and Annelies Freriks (2006)
Millefeuille: The Emergence of a Multi-Layered Controls System in the European Food Sector
Utrecht Law Review, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 156-176, June 2006
More and more substances used in (the processing of) food as well as food products travel world wide and as a result the food production chain is becoming increasingly complex. It goes without saying that within a free European market, the safety of food products that reach the consumer at the end of the production chain depends entirely on the safety and control measures that are taken in all stages of the production process. Food crises have brought to light serious shortcomings in safety assurance and have made regulatory reform an important issue at European level over the past ten years. In order to re-establish public confidence in food supply, food science, food law and food controls, the European Commission initiated a major regulatory reform. This article goes into the restructuring of European food legislation as far as this affects food controls. The restructuring of European food law has resulted in a controls system in which recourse is had to a command and control system. The food sector is squeezed between four layers of controls. Although a heavily regulated system might seem logical in response to food safety crises the question arises whether this will ultimately prove to be the most effective way to safeguard food safety.
Bernd van der Meulen (2019)
Levensmiddelenrecht: coherentie en concurrentie in codificatie van bestuursrechtelijke handhaving
Tom Barkhuysen et al. (ed.) 25 jaar Awb In eenheid en verscheidenheid, Wolters Kluwer Deventer 2019, p. 371-384
De EU breidt de codificatie van handhaving van het levensmiddelenrecht door de lidstaten uit tot een steeds groter terrein van bijzonder agro-food-bestuursrecht. Deze sluipende codificatie concurreert in Nederland met hoofdstuk 5 van de Awb.
Bernd van der Meulen (2013)
Voedselvertrouwen komt te voet maar vliedt te paard: Over voedselfraude, misleiding van consumenten, bereiding van paarden, bestuurlijke handhaving, proportionaliteit, beleidsvrijheid, een stokpaardje, macht en een taskforce
VAR Michiels column 25 juli 2013
Deze column bespreekt de vraag hoe het recht, hoe de wetgever, moet omgaan met situaties waarin malafide ondernemers consumenten producten aansmeren door hen wijs te maken dat het iets anders is dan in werkelijkheid het geval is. Met de toenemende industrialisatie en de groeiende geografische afstand tussen producent en consument wordt het voor de consument steeds moeilijker zich een eigen oordeel te vormen over de precieze aard en gesteldheid van een product. Iedere bewerkingsstap biedt een mogelijkheid tot fraude. De consument, bijvoorbeeld, die koffiebonen koopt ziet het onmiddellijk wanneer er zand is bijgemengd. Wanneer de koffie is gemalen is dat al veel minder evident.