During our five-day programme the following topics are on the agenda:
• The emergence of global food governance
• Regulating the future of food: Between precaution and innovation
• The past, present and future of the WTO's SPS Agreement
• Nutrition and industry compliance
• The evolution of food law
• Codex Alimentarius: An insider's view
• Health claims and intellectual property rights: The haves and the have-nots
• EFSA@10
• Moot Court: You can't beat natural!
For a printable version, please click on the above programme link or find a description of the different sessions below.
The Sessions
• The emergence of global food law Speaker: Alberto ALEMANNO
This session aims at introducing the participants to the emerging global regime for food regulation. By following a narrative path, it will refresh the knowledge of participants in food regulation at national, EU and International level. In so doing, it will illustrate the past, present and future regulatory challenges for the production and distribution of food products. Some specific attention will be devoted to the ongoing debate on the appropriate role of governments in regulating consumers' choice.
• Regulating the future of food: Between precaution and innovation Speaker: Emmanuel SAURAT
This session will focus on the regulation of food innovation and technology in the EU. The EU’s authorization procedure for novel food products and GMOs will be explained, including recent developments in these areas and comparisons with other jurisdictions. He will also discuss proprietary data protection regimes across a range of authorization procedures. The presentation will provide concrete examples of the EU’s application of the precautionary principle, and discuss whether EU regulations foster or deter innovation in the food sector.
• The past, present and future of the WTO's SPS Agreement Speaker: Lee Ann JACKSON
By
providing an overview of the implementation of the SPS Agreement during
its first 15 years, this session will offer a unique opportunity to
discuss new challenges in global food governance, including:
• Specific trade concerns and issues raised at the WTO • Problems identified in implementing the SPS Agreement • Evolving legal interpretations in WTO disputes • Private standards, invasive species and other new challenges
• Nutrition and industry compliance Speakers: Amadine GARDE/Catherine ADAM HUTT/Susanne KETTLER
Obesity prevention cuts across several policy sectors and rests on the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders. As the World Health Organization has highlighted, Governments are in the best position to set direction and overall strategy to achieve population-wide public health goals. In setting the policy framework, however, Governments may choose to allocate defined roles to other stakeholders, including private-sector parties. This session will focus on the roles which different stakeholders should play in the development, the implementation and the monitoring and evaluation of effective obesity prevention strategies. In particular, it will discuss how Governments can engage with industry operators to ensure a high level of public health protection, while ensuring avoidance of potential conflicts of interest. This session will offer a unique opportunity to address this overarching question by focusing on a range of specific, highly topical issues at national, regional and international levels, including:
• The development of nutrition profiles; • The provision of nutrition information (front-of-pack labelling, nutrition and health claims, nutrition information in catering establishments); • The regulation of unhealthy food marketing to children; • Food reformulation; • The use of food taxes and subsidies.
• The evolution of food law Speaker: Peter Barton HUTT
This session will familiarize the participants with the evolution of food law through the years. It will adopt a diachronic perspective ranging from ancient Sumer, via medieval food safety laws up to our present food legislations. In so doing, it not only highlights what has been achieved thus far, but aims also to critically explore how modern food regulations ought to be.
• Codex Alimentarius: An insider's view Speaker: Raluca IVANESCU
This session aims to provide a first hand insight into the role and functioning of the Codex Alimentarius Commission especially since the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995. The speaker will share her experience with the Codex. In particular, the following aspects will be covered:
• The evolution of the role of the Codex Alimentarius since its creation • The WTO SPS and TBT Agreements • Science, politics and other legitimate factors • The representation of the EU in the Codex • The role of developing countries
• Health claims and intellectual property rights: The haves and the have-nots Speaker: Sven BOSTYN
This session aims at introducing participants to some intriguing intellectual property issues relating to food products. After painting the picture of the less than clear regime for the protection of Geographical Indications of Origin in Europe, the session continues with an introduction into some core principles of the patent system before embarking upon a journey into a relatively unknown but not less interesting area of patent law, health claims in patents. Under one of the basic principles of the patent system, one cannot claim a method for medical treatment. Many food products are from a patent point of view no longer new and cannot be patented as such. Hence, attempts are made to claim health applications for such product. Not surprisingly, many of those claimed effects are in the area of weight loss. Applicants find themselves in a precarious situation, as they cannot claim a medical effect of the food product (as such is not allowed), while for regulatory purposes they wish to establish such effects. Hence strategies have been developed to combine the best of both worlds. This session will present a number of case studies in that regard. In doing so, the following issues will be covered:
• Introduction into the protection system for Geographical Indications of Origin and the effects it has on food products; • Introduction into some of the basic principles of the patent system; • A closer look at the specifics of patenting methods which may entail a medical treatment; • A number of case studies which illustrate the thin line on which patent applicants have to walk to avoid on the one hand refusal of the grant of a patent, while on the other hand maintain the possibility to claim medical effect for regulatory purposes.
• Moot Court: You can't beat natural! Speaker: Andreas MEISTERERNST
The moot will deal with the marketing of and advertising for an “all natural” drink containing - among other ingredients - imported super fruits and claims on health benefits for the product and its ingredients. The product is very successful in the US and shall be marketed in the EU accordingly. Participants will be divided into small groups to argue on behalf of the importing company, an EU Consultancy, a food surveillance body and a consumer association.
This year’s keynote speech will be devoted to EFSA’s 10th anniversary. EFSA’s founding regulation being currently under review and a new proposal looming on the horizon, the speech aims to address the role played by the authority within the broader framework of the reformed EU food law.
Academy Material - No need to miss anything!
If you are unable to make it to the Summer Academy you may want to order a copy of the printed material
including the access data to all presentations shown during the course. The price is € 499,-
(excl. of VAT). If interested, please contact Nikola Bock.
