The success of this legislation in the United States had a global impact and served as a model for other countries that began to establish their own food regulatory systems throughout the 20th century. In Europe, several countries also began to implement similar laws and regulations to address food safety and consumer protection issues. The problem with this legislative development was that there were multiple standards issued by different countries, which caused trade barriers, so an international body was needed to set guidelines and provide some regulatory compression in order to improve international trade. As a result of this situation, an attempt was made to harmonise all the standards that existed up to that time to facilitate trade in safe food with defined quality characteristics. Thus, for example, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) developed the first quality standards for milk and milk products. The IDF played an important role in the creation of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which will be discussed in more detail throughout this research. In the mid-20th century4 advances in the field of science led to a better understanding of the chemistry and microbiology of food and the potential hazards associated with pesticides, contaminants, microorganisms, inappropriate additives, etc. This led to a change in public awareness of food and food safety. At present, the Compendium of Internationally Agreed Food Standards, Guidelines and Codes of Practice 5, aims to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practices. Its application is voluntary and non-binding, but in practice it sets the standards for legislation at the international level. It is of utmost relevance to highlight the transition from the notion of Agrarian Law to that of Agri-Food Law as it is a phenomenon that has taken place in the last decade. Agricultural law refers to the regulation of the production and distribution of food, with a focus on agriculture and livestock. It focuses on the protection of farmers’ rights, the regulation of food production and distribution, and the protection of the environment. It is based on the idea that agriculture is an important economic and social activity, and that farmers have specific rights and obligations in relation to food production and distribution. In this sense, agricultural law applies to agriculture and animal husbandry. Agri-food 4 In May 1963, the 16th World Health Assembly approved the establishment of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme and adopted the Statutes of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 5 Within this compendium are: Codex Alimentarius, International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Standards, ISO 22000:2005 (Food Safety Management System), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System), European Commission Standards and the Food Industry Code of Practice (GFSI). 617 GREENWASHING, LABELLING AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE4NzM5Nw==