Neal Fortin Appointed Director

Neal Fortin has accepted appointment as the Director of the Institute for Food Laws & Regulations (IFLR) at Michigan State University. As Director, Professor Fortin will lead the IFLR and its International Food Law Distance Education Certificate Program. IFLR offers region and topic-specific food law courses taught by an international network of food science academic and legal professionals. Students from over 80 countries have participated in these courses via the Internet.

“With globalization increasing,” said Director Fortin, “an understanding of the legal complexities of food regulation is vital to the free trade of food and agricultural products across national boundaries.”

The IFLR International Food Law Distance Education Certificate Program was the 2003 Winner of the Excellence Award in College and University Distance Education from the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) under the leadership of its Founding Director Emeritus, Dr. P. Vincent Hegarty. The eight courses offered include an overview course on International Food Laws and Regulations, four region-specific courses—Food Regulation in the United States, European Union, Canada and Latin America—and three topic-specific courses—Codex Alimentarius (The Food Code), OIE (The World Organisation on Animal Health) and the IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) http://vu.msu.edu/preview/anr-ifl/.
“I am looking forward to working closely with colleagues in academia, agriculture and food industries, and government agencies,” said Director Fortin, “along with the non-governmental organizations important in international food law.”

Before joining the faculty full time, Mr. Fortin was an attorney concentrating in food and drug law, food safety, food labeling, ingredient evaluation, and advertising. Mr. Fortin is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Michigan State University College of Law, where he teaches food and drug law, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, where he teaches a course on nutrition law and policy. Previously, Neal Fortin was manager of the food service regulatory program for the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In this role, he was the primary drafter of the Michigan Food Law of 2000, which streamlined Michigan’s food safety requirements and strengthened and updated food safety standards for changes in science.

Professor Fortin holds a Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude, from the Michigan State University College of Law. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Michigan and Newman University.

We are delighted that Director Fortin will apply his many talents to the administration of the IFLR. Please join us in congratulating Neal Fortin in his new capacity. He can be contacted at 404 Agriculture Hall, by phone at 517-355-8295, or via email at fortinne@msu.edu.