Private Food Law
Bernd van der Meulen (ed.)(2011)
Private food law. Governing food chains through contract law, self-regulation, private standards, audits and certification schemes
European Institute for Food Law book series # 6 Wageningen Academic Publishers 2011
Since the turn of the Millennium, world-wide initiatives from the private sector have turned the regulatory environment for food businesses upside down. For the first time in legal literature this book analyses private law initiatives relating to the food chain, often referred to as private (voluntary) standards or schemes.
Private standards are used to remedy flaws in legislation, in order to reach higher levels of consumer protection than the ones chosen by the EU legislature and to manage risks and liability beyond the traditional limits of food businesses. We see that litigation is no longer solely framed by legislative requirements, but ever more by private standards such as GlobalGAP, BRC, IFS, SQF and ISO. These private standards incorporate public law requirements thus embedding them in contractual relations and exporting them beyond the jurisdiction of public legislators. Other standards focus on corporate social responsibility or sustainability. This book also addresses how private religious standards such as Kosher and Halal play a role in defining specific markets of growing importance. It is noted that organic standards have found an interesting symbioses with public law.
Another development on this topic is that food businesses are inspected more often by private auditors than by public inspectors. Effects in terms of receiving or being denied certification far outweigh public law sanctions. In short private law has changed an entire legal infrastructure for the food sector. It emerges as competing with the public law regulatory infrastructure.
Kai Purnhagen, Cerkia Bramley, Bernd van der Meulen and Harry Bremmers (2013)
Preventing Exclusion of Small-Scale-Farmers Through Private Standards in the Global Food Chain – A Research Agenda
Wageningen Working Papers in Law and Governance 2013/02
Compliance with private standards is rapidly becoming the decisive factor distinguishing inclusion and exclusion from the market for agricultural producers. If Africa would manage to increase its total exports by just 1%, this would make an impact surpassing the entire western development aid. Agriculture holds the largest potential to come closer to realising this ambition. For SFFs to receive a fair share or even to just survive in the globalising world, they need to have access to the local and global food markets. Research is needed that helps to counter the exclusionary effects of the private standards that rule these markets. In absence of effective (state) governmental control, the private character of standards shall be turned into a tool to achieve this objective. In this sense, research is needed that investigates the respective incentive structures in bargaining over standards and their enforcement.
L.W. Balk-Theuws, G.M. Splinter, A.A. van der Maas, A.G.J.M. Oude Lansink en B.M.J. van der Meulen (2004)
Zelfregulering van plantgezondheid in de bloemisterij. Verkenning van behoeften en mogelijkheden
LEI 2004
Overheid en bedrijfsleven wilden een verkenning van de behoeften en mogelijkheden van zelfregulering van plantgezondheid in de bloemisterij. De theorieën over zelfregulering zijn verkend in de literatuur. Tijdens interviews met importerende bedrijven is de behoefte in de praktijk onderzocht. De ruimte binnen de regelgeving is een belangrijk uitgangspunt voor het opstellen van zelfregulering. De EU-Fytorichtlijn en het internationaal IPPC-verdrag zijn geanalyseerd. Dit heeft geleid tot twee mogelijkheden om het fytosanitair controlesysteem aan te passen: 'Reduced checks plus' en 'Toezicht op controle'.
Bernd van der Meulen (ed.)(2011)
Private food law. Governing food chains through contract law, self-regulation, private standards, audits and certification schemes
European Institute for Food Law book series # 6 Wageningen Academic Publishers 2011
Since the turn of the Millennium, world-wide initiatives from the private sector have turned the regulatory environment for food businesses upside down. For the first time in legal literature this book analyses private law initiatives relating to the food chain, often referred to as private (voluntary) standards or schemes.
Private standards are used to remedy flaws in legislation, in order to reach higher levels of consumer protection than the ones chosen by the EU legislature and to manage risks and liability beyond the traditional limits of food businesses. We see that litigation is no longer solely framed by legislative requirements, but ever more by private standards such as GlobalGAP, BRC, IFS, SQF and ISO. These private standards incorporate public law requirements thus embedding them in contractual relations and exporting them beyond the jurisdiction of public legislators. Other standards focus on corporate social responsibility or sustainability. This book also addresses how private religious standards such as Kosher and Halal play a role in defining specific markets of growing importance. It is noted that organic standards have found an interesting symbioses with public law.
Another development on this topic is that food businesses are inspected more often by private auditors than by public inspectors. Effects in terms of receiving or being denied certification far outweigh public law sanctions. In short private law has changed an entire legal infrastructure for the food sector. It emerges as competing with the public law regulatory infrastructure.
Kai Purnhagen, Cerkia Bramley, Bernd van der Meulen and Harry Bremmers (2013)
Preventing Exclusion of Small-Scale-Farmers Through Private Standards in the Global Food Chain – A Research Agenda
Wageningen Working Papers in Law and Governance 2013/02
Compliance with private standards is rapidly becoming the decisive factor distinguishing inclusion and exclusion from the market for agricultural producers. If Africa would manage to increase its total exports by just 1%, this would make an impact surpassing the entire western development aid. Agriculture holds the largest potential to come closer to realising this ambition. For SFFs to receive a fair share or even to just survive in the globalising world, they need to have access to the local and global food markets. Research is needed that helps to counter the exclusionary effects of the private standards that rule these markets. In absence of effective (state) governmental control, the private character of standards shall be turned into a tool to achieve this objective. In this sense, research is needed that investigates the respective incentive structures in bargaining over standards and their enforcement.
L.W. Balk-Theuws, G.M. Splinter, A.A. van der Maas, A.G.J.M. Oude Lansink en B.M.J. van der Meulen (2004)
Zelfregulering van plantgezondheid in de bloemisterij. Verkenning van behoeften en mogelijkheden
LEI 2004
Overheid en bedrijfsleven wilden een verkenning van de behoeften en mogelijkheden van zelfregulering van plantgezondheid in de bloemisterij. De theorieën over zelfregulering zijn verkend in de literatuur. Tijdens interviews met importerende bedrijven is de behoefte in de praktijk onderzocht. De ruimte binnen de regelgeving is een belangrijk uitgangspunt voor het opstellen van zelfregulering. De EU-Fytorichtlijn en het internationaal IPPC-verdrag zijn geanalyseerd. Dit heeft geleid tot twee mogelijkheden om het fytosanitair controlesysteem aan te passen: 'Reduced checks plus' en 'Toezicht op controle'.