To all appearances, Europe is at present undergoing a crisis of consumer confidence with respect to the food industry. Recent food scares, the genetically-modified food controversy, a growing public awareness of the environmental footprint of intensive farming methods, and a perceived threat to the deeply-held European cultural values surrounding diet and cuisine all have combined to expose the vulnerability of consumers in the very ordinary activity of purchasing food. Although the creation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in February 2002 can be viewed as an EU response to this crisis, it in fact represents an inevitable milestone in a body of food-specific European legislation and case law that has been growing for many years.
The EFSA does, however, clearly establish food law as an autonomous branch of EU law. This is the first book to survey and analyse this body of law in depth, drawing together the relevant laws and cases and taking stock of the trends and likely future developments in this dynamic and emotive area of law and policy.
