way it is regulated. The involvement of law has been central to this evolution, shaping food practices and ensuring food security and access to food. The most drastic change in terms of food and its turning point came with what is known as the Modern Age, when the Industrial Revolution exponentially boosted the development of humanity, which led to a paradigm shift with respect to food. During the last half of the 20th century, food has taken on a new meaning in the world that has gone hand in hand with the economic takeoff and the beginning and development of the mass consumer society. One could say that the big change has been from a society of food shortages to a society of food overabundance, as far as developed countries are concerned, because unfortunately, there are still countries and populations in the developing world where food is scarce. This implies at least two types of changes relevant to the study of contemporary nutrition: on the one hand, objective changes in eating habits; on the other hand, changes in perceptions of what it means to ‘eat well’.3 These changes share a common feature: a growing and new approach to the problem of food, and this is happening in a context where, curiously, the insecurity associated with the lack of food is no longer part of everyday life. Today, food problems are linked to social phenomena that have little to do with scarcity and much to do with abundance and globalisation. In the second half of the 19th century, the first food legislation known as the Food Adulteration Act (Lebensmittelgesetz) was passed in Germany in 1879. This law was an important milestone in food regulation, establishing the basis for the control of food quality and safety in a legislative context. In addition, it brought about the establishment of basic food control systems. The purity of foodstuffs also began to be determined in order to prevent fraud. Gradually, food laws and standards were developed all over the world. In the early 20th century, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was a pioneering regulatory framework in the United States that addressed these concerns and established basic systems of control over food and drugs. Its main features included prohibition of adulteration and counterfeiting, introduced labelling requirements for manufacturers to truthfully report ingredients and product properties, and although the name Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not officially used until later, this act laid the groundwork for the creation of the FDA and its role in the regulation and oversight of food and drugs in the US. 3 Díaz Méndez, Cecilia, et al., Alimentación, consumo y salud, Colección Estudios Sociales, 1ª edición, Fundación” la Caixa”, Barcelona, 2008, pp.11-13. 616 FREDDY A. HUNG GIL | ANABEL GONZÁLEZ FERNÁNDEZ
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