Save the Date: Summer Academy in Global Food Law and Policy in Spain

The Summer Academy in Global Food Law and Policy is a one-week summer program that brings together practitioners, policymakers, industry representatives, and leading academics working in the field of food law and policy. It offers intensive training on the most innovative developments in global food regulation and provides a unique opportunity for professional development and networking in an informal and interdisciplinary setting. By talking, studying, and interacting with food experts from all over the world, participants are able to gain new perspectives into both their own sectors and international regulatory issues. This is achieved by combining traditional classroom instruction with experiential learning opportunities offered by dedicated and distinguished international experts.

The 6th edition of the Academy will take place from Monday, 21 July, to Friday, 25 July, 2014, in Bilbao, Spain. The choice of this vibrant city will enable participants to benefit from the 
geographical location between the Atlantic sea and the Rioja region, as well as its distinctive architectural landscapes (with the Guggenheim Museum, Norman Foster's Underground, the towers by Arata Isozaki and César Pelli). For more information, please visit here.

The Summer Academy may be taken as a 3 credit, graduate-level course from Michigan State University.  Contact IFLR@msu.edu if you are interested in enrolling for graduate credit. If you wish only to attend as a seminar, enroll here.

Lecture: Social Network Models of Food Safety Standards Worldwide, and Impacts on Trade and Health

"A Tangled Web:  Social Network Models of Food Safety Standards Worldwide, and Impacts on Trade and Health" Felicia Wu, PhD Hannah Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Michigan State University October 10, 2013 Patenge, C102 East Fee Hall, 4:00 p.m. When nations make decisions about setting food safety standards, the impacts go far beyond the public health impacts of the nations' populations.  These standards have effects on a nation's main trading partners, as well as on the entire global network of nations trading particular commodities.  There are also effects on the distribution of more contaminated vs. less contaminated foods worldwide.  Two case studies, which involve social network models of global food trade, are presented in this lecture.  The first is on maize trade and the impact of aflatoxin regulations. Aflatoxin, produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, is a potent carcinogen found most commonly in maize and nuts.  We find that like attracts like: nations trade maize with other nations that have identical or very similar standards, and rarely do pairs of nations' trade maize if their total aflatoxin standards are different by more than 5 ng/g.  The second is on pistachio trade.  We find that differential aflatoxin standards force market segregation on a global scale, with stricter nations importing primarily from one nation and less strict nations importing primarily from another.  Potential economic and global health effects associated with these regulations are described.  In the end is a story of hope: an epidemiological study conducted in Qidong, China, of the decrease in liver cancer mortality over a 30-year timeframe due to reduced aflatoxin exposure through switching from maize consumption to rice consumption in the population.

 

Understanding Europe: Why It Matters and What It Can Offer You

Alberto Alemanno is teaching a free online course, “Understanding Europe: Why It Matters and What It Can Offer You.” Learn about the European Union, how it works, why it matters and what it can offer you. Regardless of where you live, the EU not only affects your life but may also transform it. This course aims at empowering you, your family, business and community in Europe and beyond and will enable you to discover jobs you were not aware of.

To learn more about the course and to register, visit the Coursera site here.

Food Law and Policy Summer Student Position

The Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy at UCLA has just created a new summer position for a law student interested in working on food law issues. The summer associate will divide his or her time equally between independent research on a food law topic and assistance with the program's ongoing projects. Those projects may include academic research projects and collaboration with program partners. The specific projects will be tailored to the summer associate's interests and the program's needs.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has strong academic credentials and writing skills. A strong interest in food law and policy is mandatory; a background in the area is preferred but not required.

Details:

The position runs from June –August 2014. Specific dates are flexible. There will be a small stipend, amount to be determined. To apply, send a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, list of two references, and a writing sample to Kusumi@law.ucla.edu. Applications are due Nov. 15, 2013.

Food Fraud Exercise on June 18, 2013 in East Lansing, Michigan

On June 18, 2013 the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) and Michigan State University (MSU) will host a table-top exercise that will promote awareness of food fraud.  Food fraud is a collective term used to encompass the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or misrepresentation of food for economic gain. 

Registration is required.  There will be no cost to participants and lunch is included. 

With an Innovative Food Defense Grant from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a tabletop training exercise has been developed that promotes awareness of food fraud. Food fraud threatens both the public's health and the food and agriculture economy. With successful piloting in Michigan, the exercise will be available nationally as a supplement to the FDA's Food Related Emergency Exercise Boxed (FREE-B) set.   The tabletop training exercise will feature participants' interaction surrounding an emerging Food Fraud scenario. This exercise will demonstrate how different agencies and authorities interact at the local, state and federal level and with the private sector.  Participants will also learn about other types of Food Fraud to heighten awareness among authorities and better protect the public's health.  

Training participants will include public health officials, food inspectors, various regulatory authorities and the private sector. Awareness of the public health threat from food fraud is a key tactic in thwarting this growing concern.

The registration link for the Food Fraud Exercise on June 18, 2013 in East Lansing is: zttps://www.foodshield.org/index.cfm/discover-tools-links/mi-tabletop/

Please let Deb Merrill at MDARD know if you have any questions 517-335-4576 or  merrilld@michigan.gov

UCLA School of Law Establishes Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy

UCLA School of Law has received a $4 million gift from the Resnick Family Foundation to establish the Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy. The gift provides for as much as another $3 million in matching endowment funds. The new program will explore ways to hasten improvements in the modern food system. In addressing questions of food safety, distribution and access, the Resnick Program will focus on reforming food law and policy for the benefit of the consumer. 

As part of this effort, the law school will collaborate with UCLA's world-class medical, public health, public policy and sustainability programs to provide an interdisciplinary approach to developing effective, consumer-oriented food law and policy, such as increasing educational efforts to assist consumers in understanding the central issues relating to food; improving the clarity and accuracy of food labeling; ensuring food safety and wider access to healthy food for all segments of the population; and monitoring the effect of food production on our natural resources. 

For the rest of the press release, visit here.

Law job at the Rudd Center

The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity has posted a job announcement for a "Coordinator of Legal Initiatives."  They envision hiring a junior person to focus on the law and food marketing. Please visit this link to apply or find out more.

The first LLM in Global Food Law graduates this Friday. Congratulations!

And thank you to all who made this a great program.

Last Chance to Register - Summer Academy in Global Food Law and Policy

The Summer Academy in Global Food Law and Policy is an established one-week summer program that brings together practitioners, policymakers, industry representatives, and leading academics working in the field of food law and policy. It offers intensive training on the most innovative developments in global food regulation and provides a unique opportunity for professional development and networking in an informal and interdisciplinary setting. By talking, studying, and interacting with food experts from all over the world, participants are able to gain new perspectives into both their own sectors and international regulatory issues. This is achieved by combining traditional classroom instruction with experiential learning opportunities offered by dedicated and distinguished international experts.

The 5th edition of the Academy will take place from Monday, 22 July, to Friday, 26 July, 2013 in Granada, Spain. The choice of this vibrant city will enable participants to benefit from the distinctive beauty of the town’s Unesco World Heritage environment and its privileged geographical location adjacent to the Sierra Nevada. For more information, please visit here.

The Summer Academy may be taken as a 2 or 3 credit, graduate-level course from Michigan State University.  Contact IFLR@msu.edu if you are interested in enrolling for graduate credit. If you wish only to attend as a seminar, enroll here.

Brody Distinguished Lecture on the Pew Food Additive Safety Initiative

The 7th Annual Brody Distinguished Lecture in Food Packaging featuring Thomas Neltner - April 30, 2013 | School of Packaging is being presented by Tom Neltner from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Tom will discuss the Pew Food Additive Safety Initiative. This initiative has analyzed several thousand indirect and direct food additives for toxicological activity and looked at how FDA regulates these substances.  The largest category of compounds in foods results from the migration of packaging components.

This seminar is being co-sponsored by:

• Center for Integrative Toxicology
• Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition
• Food, Society and Sustainability
• Institute for Food Laws & Regulations 

The seminar will be held at 3:30 p.m.  in room 100 Packaging Building, Tuesday, April 30.  You are invited to a reception in the Packaging atrium at 3:00 p.m.

Symposium on Poultry Confinement, April 4

The MSU College of Law's Journal of Animal and Natural Resource Law is hosting symposium, titled "Chicken Farming in the 21st Century: A Look at the Legal, Ethical, & Environmental Concerns Associated with Poultry Confinement."

It is scheduled to take place this Thursday, April 4, from 4-8 p.m. in the Castle Boardroom on the 3rd floor of the law college. This is a free event, but attendees must register in advance using this link: http://www.law.msu.edu/chicken/register.php.  

More information about the symposium can be found here.

Let the Competition Begin - 2013 Food and Drug Writing Award

The 2013 H. Thomas Austern Memorial Writing Competition has launched – encouraging law students interested in food and drug law to submit papers for consideration for publication in the Food and Drug Law Journal (and to secure a cash prize). There are two competitions – one for papers with a maximum of 40 pages, and one for papers between 41 and 100 pages.

If you are interested in the competition, please direct your attention to the details available online.
 

FSMA Listening Session/Webinar

Two New Food Law & Policy Positions

English: The south entrance to the UCLA School of Law on the campus of the University of California in Westwood. Of the various entrances to the building, the south entrance is the largest and grandest in appearance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The UCLA School of Law has announced two new food law and policy positions:

1. Executive Director of the Resnick Program for Food Law & Policy

2. Resnick Program for Food Law & Policy Teaching Fellowship

This newly-established program for the study and practice of food law and policy is designed to bring together world class policy analysis, research, and educational opportunities in food law and policy.

The Summer Academy in Global Food Law & Policy is an established one-week summer program that brings together practitioners, policymakers, industry representatives, and leading academics working in the field of food law and policy. It offers intensive training on the most innovative developments in global food regulation and provides a unique opportunity for professional development and networking in an informal and interdisciplinary setting. By talking, studying, and interacting with food experts from all over the world, participants are able to gain new perspectives into both their own sectors and international regulatory issues. This is achieved by combining traditional classroom instruction with experiential learning opportunities offered by dedicated and distinguished international experts.

 

The 5th edition of the Academy will take place from Monday, 22 July, to Friday, 26 July, 2013 in Granada, Spain. The choice of this vibrant city will enable participants to benefit from the distinctive beauty of the town’s Unesco World Heritage environment and its privileged geographical location adjacent to the Sierra Nevada. For more information, please visit here.

 

The Summer Academy may be taken as a 2 or 3 credit, graduate-level course from Michigan State University.  Contact IFLR@msu.edu if you are interested in enrolling for graduate credit. If you wish only to attend as a seminar, enroll here.

Three $1,500 Undergraduate Scholarships

Deadline: March 1st Download Application at www.afdo.org/awards   About the Scholarships   In 1981, AFDO established a scholarship fund with the excess funds from the 75th Anniversary of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act celebration. The "George M. Burditt Scholarship" and the "Betsy B. Woodward Scholarship", both in the amount of $1,500 each will be awarded annually to a worthy recipient who is in their third year of college.  A third scholarship, the "Denise C. Rooney Scholarship,"  worth $1,500 was created in June 2008 and will also be awarded annually.   The recipients should have demonstrated a desire to serve in a career of research, regulatory work, quality control, or teaching in an area related to some aspect of foods, drugs or consumer product safety; should have demonstrated leadership capabilities; and must have at least a 3.0 grade point average during the first two years of undergraduate study.

About Association of Food and Drug Officials The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), established in 1896, successfully fosters uniformity in the adoption and enforcement of science-based food, drug, medical devices, cosmetics and product safety laws, rules, and regulations.  AFDO and its six Regional Affiliates provide the mechanism and the forum where regional, national and international issues are deliberated and resolved to uniformly provide the best public health and consumer protection in the most expeditious and cost effective manner.