Global Fisheries Sustainability is the 2012 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture

Ian Cowx, an internationally renowned champion of conserving global freshwater fish communities and fisheries, will deliver the 2012 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the Red Cedar Room of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the Michigan State University campus.

As a fisheries ecologist, Cowx is known for his blend of research and teaching and for being a dynamic advocate for the scientific understanding and management of the world's freshwater fisheries.

He has worked with international organizations to advance the ecology, sustainability and prosperity of freshwater ecosystems, including the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission, European Union and the World Bank.

"Dr. Cowx is a global leader and voice of conservation to sustainably manage coupled human and natural systems," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, MSU University Distinguished Professor of fisheries and wildlife, who holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability. He also is director of the MSU Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. "In this 50th anniversary year of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, we are particularly pleased to invite Dr. Cowx to present the 2012 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture."

The lecture, which is open to the public, will be at 3:30 p.m. and be followed by a reception.

Bill Marler Presentation (open to the public) at University of Arkansas School of Law

William Marler will give the talk, The "Rocky Ford" Listeria Cantaloupe Outbreak – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly -  How a fruit killed 33 Americans. The talk is on November 9, 2012, 1:00 - 1:50 pm in room 339, University of Arkansas School of Law.

An accomplished attorney and national expert in food safety, William (Bill) Marler has become the most prominent foodborne illness lawyer in America.  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, has represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies. Marler Clark sponsors the online daily newspaper, Food Safety News. 

Food Defense Workshop

David Arvelo (a student of Prof. Fortin) will be a speaker at the Food Defense Workshop co-sponsored by the FDA Southwest Regional Office and the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on November 7-8, 2012. More information is available online at http://fapc.biz/workshops/fooddefense2012.

Opening for Senior Program Associate on agriculture policy

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) is seeking a full-time Senior Program Associate to coordinate IATP's work on agriculture policy.  The Senior Program Associate will be involved with the design and implementation of a multi-year plan, with coworkers and partners, to redefine what agricultural policy should look like regionally, nationally and internationally.  Deadline: October 29, 2012.  www.iatp.org 

The Future of Lawyers, 4th Annual Kelley Lecture, Richard Susskind

Richard Susskind will be the 4th Annual Kelley Lecturer.  His talk, The Future of Lawyers, will be on Tuesday, September 11th at 4pm in the Pasant Theatre at Wharton.  A reception will follow. Professor Susskind is the author of The End of Lawyers: Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, and you can read more about his background here. More details are available at the Kelley Institute website.

Food Law and Policy Career Guide

The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the and the Harvard Food Law Society have put together a career guide on the types of jobs, internships, and careers that exist for someone interested in food law and policy. The guide notes that food law and policy is an innovative and emerging field, and there are numerous opportunities in government, non-profit organizations, and private law firms where interested individuals can experience food law and policy in action. 

The career guide is available here.

Michigan State University to Implement New Feed the Future Agricultural Research Training Program

Michigan State University has been selected to implement the Feed the Future Borlaug Higher Education Agricultural Research and Development Program. Honoring the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug, this is a major new effort to increase the number of agricultural scientists and strengthen scientific institutions in developing countries. The program will support long-term training of agricultural researchers at the master's and doctoral levels and will link scientific and higher education communities in Feed the Future countries and the United States.

More information is available here.  

Food Law Symposium at Maine Law 2013 - Call for Papers

The Maine Law Review is hosting a food law symposium in either February or March, 2013, and issued a call for papers. They are seeking both papers for oral presentation at the symposium and for publication. For more information, contact the Law Review Editor-in-Chief is Aga Pinette (mainelawrevieweditor@gmail.com).

Food Law Short Course & Seminar
	» Hurry, registration is limited Michigan State University - East Lansing, Michigan The program consists of two courses, a U.S. food law short course, and a food regulation current issues seminar. Participants may choose to take one or both. The courses are offered in a collegial, intimate learning environment. U.S. Food Law Short Course July 16-17 (Monday-Tuesday) 2012 The U.S. Food Law Short Course is designed as an introduction to U.S. food laws and regulations for professionals in the field. It is well suited for those new to the field but also comprehensive enough on the essential elements of food law to provide a refresher course for the experienced professional. Food Regulation Current Issues Seminar  July 18-19 (Wednesday-Thursday) 2012 The Food Regulation Current Issues Seminar provides practical education on current food legal and regulatory issues. The topics cover cutting edge issues of food regulation, involving FDA, USDA, advertising, and global issues. Speakers from the legal, government, food industry, and academic professions will present practical food safety and food law information and case studies.  For more information, click here or Register Online Free Bonus U.S. Food Law Short Course participants will receive a copy of the book, Food Regulation: Law, Science, Policy, and Practice by Neal Fortin. The book provides an accessible discussion of the federal statutes, regulations, and agencies involved in food regulation in the United States. The Instructors David ACHESON, Partner at Leavitt Partners, former Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection, FDA Les BOURQUIN, Professor of Food Safety, Michigan State University Ricardo CARVAJAL, Attorney and Director, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. Roger CLEMENS, Chief Scientific Officer, Horn; President, Institute of Food Technologists Nicole COUTRELIS, Lawyer and Partner, Coutrelis & Associes, Paris and Brussels Neal FORTIN, Attorney, Professor and Director, Institute for Food Laws and Regulations P. Vincent HEGARTY, Founding Director and Professor Emeritus, Institute for Food Laws and Regulation James E. HOADLEY, Senior Consultant, EAS Consultant Group Steve KLUTING, Attorney and Partner, Varnum, LLP Janine LEWIS, Principal Nutritionist, Food Standards Australia New Zealand Scott J. MACINTYRE (invited), District Director, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Kenneth ODZA, Corporate Counsel, Food Safety, Kellogg Company F. Edward SCARBROUGH, Principal, Scarbrough Consultants, former U.S. Manager for Codex and Director Jenny SCOTT (invited), Senior Advisor, Office of Food Safety, FDA CFSAN John SPINK, Director, Packaging for Food and Product Protection Initiative, MSU Steve STEINBORN, Attorney and Partner, Hogan Lovells, US, LLP Charles WOODHOUSE, Attorney and Partner, Woodhouse Shanahan PA Cathy WEIR, Global Regulatory Associate Director, Mead Johnson Nutrition Gerald WOJTALA, Executive Director, International Food Protection Training Institute About IFLR  Learn more about IFLR at: www.IFLR.msu.edu or call (517) 355-8295       Email: IFLR@msu.edu                       Telephone: (517) 355-8295 Fax: (517) 432-1492                        web: www.IFLR.msu.edu   Institute for Food Laws and Regulation Michigan State University, 139 G.M. Trout Building, East Lansing, MI 48824

 If you would like to be sure of receiving future IFLR announcements:
Subscribe to the IFLR mailing list

Food Safety Regulatory Compliance Training in Chicago

The ACI’s Food Safety Regulatory Compliance Event on June 26 - 27, 2012, provides in-depth guidance from in-house peers in the food industry, Abbott Nutrition, Cargill, ConAgra, Herbalife, H.J. Heinz, J.M. Smucker, Nestle Purina Petcare, Sara Lee, Whole Foods and others, provide with practical information on how to update your company’s food safety, regulatory and compliance controls post-FSMA in the following high risk areas:

·         Expanded FDA access to company records

·         Production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables

·         Food defense - bioterrorism, intentional contamination and security controls

·         Foreign supplier verification and food imports

·         Facility registration and suspension

·         Domestic and foreign facility inspection targets

For more information and to view the speaker list and agenda,  click here.

Call for Papers: Exploring Link Between Food & Agriculture Policy and Obesity

The AALS Section on Agriculture and Food Law with present a session on the topic, "Exploring Link Between Food & Agriculture Policy and Obesity,"  on Saturday, January 5, 2013, 1:30-3:15 p.m.  Full-time faculty members of AALS member law schools are eligible to submit papers, or 1-3 page proposals, to Alison.Peck@mail.wvu.edu by June 15, 2012.  The Section program will be published in the Journal of Food Law & Policy.

ABA Food and Supplements Conference

ABA Food and Supplements Conference will be held on Tuesday, June 12th, at Sara Lee in Chicago.  There is a great conference agenda that promises to be a lively and enjoyable event.   You may read the brochure here.   Registration for the conference is now open.  The last one sold out.

Legal Issues in Animal Agriculture: Regulating Living Space

The National Ag Law Center is hosting a webinar on May 10th. "This presentation, part of a series of webinars on current legal issues in animal agriculture, will focus on the emerging legal and policy issues dealing with farm animal confinement. This presentation focuses on the laws and regulations of farm animal confinement in the United States, with a special emphasis on the statutory evolution behind them."

Food Law Short Course and Seminar

Food Law Short Course & Seminar
	» Hurry, registration is limited Michigan State University - East Lansing, Michigan The program consists of two courses, a U.S. food law short course, and a food regulation current issues seminar. Participants may choose to take one or both. The courses are offered in a collegial, intimate learning environment. U.S. Food Law Short Course July 16-17 (Monday-Tuesday) 2012 The U.S. Food Law Short Course is designed as an introduction to U.S. food laws and regulations for professionals in the field. It is well suited for those new to the field but also comprehensive enough on the essential elements of food law to provide a refresher course for the experienced professional. Food Regulation Current Issues Seminar  July 18-19 (Wednesday-Thursday) 2012 The Food Regulation Current Issues Seminar provides practical education on current food legal and regulatory issues. The topics cover cutting edge issues of food regulation, involving FDA, USDA, advertising, and global issues. Speakers from the legal, government, food industry, and academic professions will present practical food safety and food law information and case studies.  For more information, click here or Register Online Free Bonus U.S. Food Law Short Course participants will receive a copy of the book, Food Regulation: Law, Science, Policy, and Practice by Neal Fortin. The book provides an accessible discussion of the federal statutes, regulations, and agencies involved in food regulation in the United States. The Instructors David ACHESON, Partner at Leavitt Partners, former Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection, FDA Les BOURQUIN, Professor of Food Safety, Michigan State University Ricardo CARVAJAL, Attorney and Director, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. Roger CLEMENS, Chief Scientific Officer, Horn; President, Institute of Food Technologists Nicole COUTRELIS, Lawyer and Partner, Coutrelis & Associes, Paris and Brussels Neal FORTIN, Attorney, Professor and Director, Institute for Food Laws and Regulations P. Vincent HEGARTY, Founding Director and Professor Emeritus, Institute for Food Laws and Regulation James E. HOADLEY, Senior Consultant, EAS Consultant Group Steve KLUTING, Attorney and Partner, Varnum, LLP Janine LEWIS, Principal Nutritionist, Food Standards Australia New Zealand Scott J. MACINTYRE (invited), District Director, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Kenneth ODZA, Corporate Counsel, Food Safety, Kellogg Company F. Edward SCARBROUGH, Principal, Scarbrough Consultants, former U.S. Manager for Codex and Director Jenny SCOTT (invited), Senior Advisor, Office of Food Safety, FDA CFSAN John SPINK, Director, Packaging for Food and Product Protection Initiative, MSU Steve STEINBORN, Attorney and Partner, Hogan Lovells, US, LLP Charles WOODHOUSE, Attorney and Partner, Woodhouse Shanahan PA Cathy WEIR, Global Regulatory Associate Director, Mead Johnson Nutrition Gerald WOJTALA, Executive Director, International Food Protection Training Institute About IFLR  Learn more about IFLR at: www.IFLR.msu.edu or call (517) 355-8295       Email: IFLR@msu.edu                       Telephone: (517) 355-8295 Fax: (517) 432-1492                        web: www.IFLR.msu.edu   Institute for Food Laws and Regulation Michigan State University, 139 G.M. Trout Building, East Lansing, MI 48824

 If you would like to be sure of receiving future IFLR announcements:
Subscribe to the IFLR mailing list

A Great Opportunity to Expand Your Knowledge of Contemporary Society with Larry Busch

Special Seminar for Fall 2012

Neoliberalism and the Making of Contemporary Society

SOC 499 Social Issues and Change in Society (Section 2)

Open to both Undergraduate and Graduate Students                                                                                           

L. Busch

The last 30 years have witnessed a major transformation of most Western and many other societies around the world, culminating in the recent financial crisis.  Nearly every person on the planet has been affected by the financial crisis.  In the United States, poverty and inequality have increased, unemployment has risen dramatically, many businesses have gone bankrupt, and many people have lost their homes or seen the value of those homes decline dramatically.  Minorities have been particularly hard hit.  Moreover, what is true in the United States is equally true for much of the rest of the world.  This course will look at the role played by a particular set of economic theories and policies, traceable largely to ideas initially expressed in the 1930s under the label of neoliberalism and first put into practice (differently in different places) in the latter part of the last century. 

This course will examine neoliberalism as simultaneously a form of science with various knowledge claims. and a project to reform the state and society by creating, as one of its early proponents, Henry C. Simons, put it, 'a positive project for laissez-faire.'  In short, it will examine the causes and consequences of a project designed to transform the negative 18^th and 19^th century project of creating markets as spaces outside of state control, into a positive project to encourage states to create, support, and maintain markets whenever and wherever possible – a project that included the creation of the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, as well as what is often called 'globalization.'

Through analysis of both original documents produced by the founders of neoliberalism (e.g., Simons, Hayek, Friedman) as well as a number of critiques and post-critical analyses (e.g., Foucault, Harvey), we will attempt to answer questions such as:  What is neoliberalism?  How does it differ from the classical liberalism of Adam Smith?  What insights into contemporary society do neoliberals bring to the table?  To what extent is neoliberalism a utopian dream?  What aspects of neoliberal theory have (not) worked out well in practice?  Why or why not? 

Special signup instructions:  Students who have difficulty in signing up electronically for the class are requested to contact, Ms. Tammy Spangler (Rm 316 Berkey Hall, Tammy.Spangler@ssc.msu.edu, 517-355-6634).  Upper division undergraduates and graduate students from sociology and other disciplines are welcome to sign up for the course!   For further information about the course, contact Dr. Lawrence Busch at Lbusch@msu.edu. 

Ensuring Safe Food in Dynamic Food Systems Conference

The Global Food Protection Institute is presenting the Imagined Food Futures Symposia's inaugural conference, "Ensuring Safe Food in Dynamic Food Systems,"  May 1-2, 2012 at the McCamly Plaza Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan. 

 

The first day of the conference is open to the public.  Participants will hear from top experts on global food systems and food safety issues.  Confirmed speakers include Dr. David Acheson, Leavitt Partners; Mr. Joseph Reardon, U.S. FDA; Dr. Rick Foster, Michigan State University; Dr. Julia Bradsher, Global Food Protection Institute; Mr. Dan Carmody, Detroit Eastern Market; and Dr. Christine Bruhn, University of California Davis, Mr. Bradd Eldridge, Abbott Nutrition; Dr. Ricardo Salvador, Union of Concerned Scientists. 

 

Registration for May 1 meeting includes:  All-day break service, Lunch, and Dinner at the Battle Creek Country Club with Keynote Speaker Ellen Gustafson, founder of 30 Project.  Please click on www.imaginedfoodfutures.org/registration to register. Detailed information can be found on www.imaginedfoodfutures.org/ or you can call the conference line at 248-850-1804. 

Counseling the Local Food Movement: What a Practitioner Should Know

The American Bar Association's General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division's Agriculture Law Committee will be hosting a CLE webinar on Thursday, May 10, 2012 titled "Counseling the Local Food Movement:  What a Practitioner Should Know."  This is a very substantive CLE that will be two hours.  It will run from 2-4pm ET. This two-hour webinar is co-sponsored by the American Agriculture Law Association ("AALA") and the ABA Section of Environment and Energy's ("SEER") Agriculture Management Committee. The cost for members of sponsoring ABA sections and AALA is $125.  You can register online here if you are an ABA member.  If you are not an ABA member, dial 800.285.2221 and select "2" as the option Monday thru Friday from 8:30am to 6:00pm ET.  The event code is CET2LFM.  If you cannot attend the live webinar, the program will be available on audio CD after the event.

HEC Paris Workshop on Regulating Lifestyle Risks - Call for Papers

Regulating Lifestyle Risks in Europe: The Case of Alcohol, Tobacco and Unhealthy Diets 
HEC Paris, 27 and 28 September 2012 

The European Union has recently recognized the growing impact of NCDs on the EU's economy and the well-being of its citizens and has consequently started to develop policies intended to tackle the four main factors to which they are linked. Nevertheless, if common themes emerge between the different EU policies intended to promote healthier lifestyles, no attempt has yet been made to systematize them. 

This workshop will offer an opportunity for researchers (PhD students, post-docs, researchers and established academics), policy makers and other stakeholders to reflect on the role which the European Union should play in promoting healthier lifestyles, in light of the moral, philosophical, legal and political challenges associated with the regulation of individual choices. Special attention will be paid to the role that the relevant industries may realistically be called to play in tackling the rising tide of NCDs.

THEMES: The questions the workshop will focus on include (but are not limited to):
- the role of the EU in promoting healthier lifestyle and how powers should be shared between the EU and its Member States in public health matters;
- the role of consumer information, taxation, reformulation and marketing restrictions with regard to tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food in promoting healthier lifestyles and their impact on the EU internal market;
- the international role the EU can/should play and its relationship with the World Health Organization and other international organizations, as a result of the conclusion of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the 2004 WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health and the 2007 WHO Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol;
- identification of the drivers behind the emergence of an EU lifestyle policy: is there an economic case for regulating lifestyle health risk determinants?
- the role of the EU impact assessment system in the preparation of legislative proposals and rule-making;
- the role played by the principles of transparency, consultation, and proportionality in ensuring that the legitimate interests of key stakeholders are sufficiently taken into account;
- the role of various stakeholders in supporting healthier lifestyles, including the role of the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health and the EU Alcohol and Health Forum;
- the assessment of different policy initiatives to determine the most appropriate forms of intervention (statutory regulation, self-regulation, co-regulation, nudges) in relevant policy areas;
- the challenge of integrating the findings of behavioral research into lifestyle policy-making, in particular the potential role and legitimacy of nudge-inspired measures in changing individual behavior and establishing social norms;
- the extent to which tobacco control may represent a blueprint for the regulation of lifestyle risks in the EU; - what the specific characteristics of EU regulation are that make problems easier or harder to solve than at national level;
- the extent to which the particular vulnerability of children requires a targeted regulatory intervention;
- the role the right to health and other fundamental rights should play in the debate;
- the impact of lifestyle regulation policies on the IP system, such as trademarks, and technological innovation, such as e-cigarettes, food reformulation and food supplements;
- the extent to which it is beneficial and justified to talk about an emerging EU lifestyle policy;
- the constraints imposed by the WTO Agreements to the emergence of a EU lifestyle regulation policy. 

ORGANISERS:
- Alberto Alemanno, Associate Professor of Law at HEC Paris and Editor of the European Journal of Risk Regulation
- Amandine Garde, Senior Lecturer in Law and Director of the Durham European Law Institute, Durham University 

EVENT: The event will consist of a two-day workshop to be held at HEC Paris Campus on 27 and 28 September 2012. The workshop is supported by the Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law & Risk Regulation as well as by the HEC Paris Foundation. 

OUTCOMES: It is anticipated that the papers presented at the workshop will form the basis of an edited collection. 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: Please submit an abstract of between 300 and 500 words, including a title, to Alberto Alemanno, alemanno@hec.fr and Amandine Garde, amandine.garde@durham.ac.uk by Tuesday 22nd May 2012. 

The Past, Present, and Future of Food Regulation: A European Perspective

Alberto Alemanno (guest instructor at the Institute for Food Laws and Regulations) will be presenting a talk at Harvard, 

The Past, Present, and Future of Food Regulation: A European Perspective, March, 21, Wednesday, 12:00-1:00.  This presentation, by telling 3 main stories, will offer a European perspective on the past, present and future of the regulation of food products and food consumption. While story 1 will illustrate the genesis, evolution and main features of EU food law and policy, story 2 will explore – by examining some of the ongoing food trade disputes – the international food regulatory regime introduced by the World Trade Organization. By looking into the future, story 3 focuses instead on the regulatory challenges related to the obesity epidemic. After discussing the EU 'regulatory mix' consisting of regulatory initiatives (e.g. labeling schemes, such as health claims) and self-regulatory mechanisms (e.g. voluntary commitments), it explores – at the time of increasing European interest for the use of nudging – the effectiveness and legitimacy of regulatory approaches aimed at integrating the findings of behavioral research into policy-making.

Food for thought Professor shares his expertise on food

Professor Neal Fortin is profiled in this article in Detroit Legal News.

"Law students get a lot to digest in Neal Fortin's classes. . . ."

EU Law Course on iTunes U

Institute for Food Laws and Regulations guest instructor, Alberto Alemanno, has posted his EU Law course online on  iTunes U and the HEC Paris page. 

If you have not had the good fortune to hear Dr. Alemanno speak, these lectures will provide a pleasant introduction to what you have been missing. He is a shining star in his field, enthusiastic in sharing his knowledge, and a gifted educator.