Food Regulation
in the
European Union

ANR-490
Section 732


WELCOME
to the preview for Food Regulation in the European Union,  ANR-490, Section 732.

This is a 3 credit hour, graduate or undergraduate level, Internet-based, college course offered by Michigan State University. The Lead Instructor for this course is Dr. David Jukes, Professor of Food Law and Food Science at the University of Reading in Reading, England.   Dr. Jukes is joined by an international faculty of food law professionals including attorneys, regulators and professors from around the European Union.  These instructors will be available online to answer your questions and are available to you by email, real time chat engines, telephone or fax.   There is also a Course Manager who will be your primary contact throughout the course and will be available to help with any and all concerns regarding this course.  

Aims:

The course enables students to study the factors influencing the development of food regulation in the EU. By making full use of the internet, students will gain access to relevant documentation in support of their professional needs and, having followed the course, students will be able to make an informed interpretation of the content.

Objectives:

On completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Discuss the role of the key institutions and related administrative bodies in the EU

  • Describe the procedure for the adoption of EU legislation

  • Access appropriate documentation on EU food law from the internet

  • Explain the impact of key judgements by the Court of Justice

  • Describe the content of EU food law in major areas (e.g. labelling, hygiene)

  • Discuss the future development of food law in the EU

Modules

The course is taught in a series of sections or " Modules".  Each module lasts one week and represents  a specific food law topic, issue or geographic region.  Some more comprehensive topics may require more than one week.  Each module will be uploaded on Monday morning.  You will have one week to read the materials and complete the assignment.  Once uploaded, the Modules remain online throughout the duration of the course so you can always go back in case you miss a week or need to refer to a specific topic.  

Here's an sample Index of the Modules in this course.  The list of courses will change with each semester.

Module One
(Week 1)

Getting Started in Web Based Courses
A gentle introduction to the technology used in the course MSU Staff
Module Two
(Week 2)
Introduction to the EU and its Institutions
What is the European Union? Treaty of Rome and other Treaties; the Council of Ministers, the Commission, the Directorate Generals, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice; types of legislation. Use of the internet David Jukes
Module Three
(Week 3))
Development of food law - Procedures and History
Initiation of legislation, Scientific committees, Co-operation procedure, common position, qualified majority. Early directives, harmonisation programmes, internal market programme, White Paper on Food Safety (Jan 2000) Charles Cockbill
Module Four
(Week 4)
From the White Paper to the EFSA
The White Paper proposals, issues relating to the creation of the European Food Safety Authority, implementation of the policy, Regulation 178/2002 Raymond O'Rourke
Module Five
(Weeks 5 and 6)
The Role of Case Law in the Development of EU Food Law
Structure of Court, Initiation of legal proceedings, process of consideration, court procedures, publication of decisions. Key cases in food law: Cassis de Dijon, etc..
Nicole Coutrelis
Module Six
(Week 7)
National Food Control Systems
A study of example national food controls systems from around Europe (for example, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Hungary) and the implications of Regulation 178/2002. Dietrich Gorny, David Jukes, Raymond O'Rourke, Nicole Coutrelis, Peter Biacs
Module Seven
(Week 8)
Official Control and Import Controls
Official control directive, additional measures directive, inspection programmes, inspection visits, rapid alert system, food imports, veterinary inspections (EU and third countries) Paul Allen
Module Eight
(Week 9)

Food Labelling in the EU
Framework Directive (2000/13), key components, nutrition labelling, miscellaneous labelling requirements.
David Jukes

Module Nine
(Week 10)
HACCP/Food Hygiene in the EU
David Jukes
Module Ten
(Week 11)
Enhancing Health: Food Supplements, Functional Food and Health Claims
History, PARNUTS, food supplements, functional foods, health claims. Peter Berry Ottaway
Module Eleven (Week 12)
Chemicals in Food: Controlling Additives and Contaminants
Early controls on additives, the Internal Market programme, issues relating to additives, the contaminant regulation (Regulation 194/97), current developments.
David Jukes

Your assignments will be due by the following Monday and can be submitted automatically using our Course Assignment Drop Box feature or by email, fax or snail mail.  Grades are posted electronically and send to you by email.  Class participation is accomplished by means of synchronous and asynchronous Internet communication technologies called Discussion Forum.

So there you have it.  It should take an average of nine hours per week to complete a module.  You simply go online each Monday morning and a new module will be waiting.  Read the materials, explore the hyperlinked and other Internet-based resources, complete the assignment, upload it to othe course assignment drop box, and you're done for the week.  Now, lets be realistic.  What if you're called out of town for a week or are otherwise unable to access or complete a module within the one week time limit?  No problem.  Time extensions can be granted; and if you give us a bit of notice, the course materials can be provided to you by fax, email attachment, CD or otherwise.

If you are looking for a convenient way to continue your education and you need information regarding the regulation of foods in the European Union or, if you work for a company planning an expansion into a particular EU market, this is the course for you.  

Just click here [How to Enroll] to get started. You will find a copy of the Application and Questionnaire, which you may simply print, fill in by hand, and fax to (517) 432-1492[USA], to start the enrollment process. No transcript submission is required through the Lifelong Education program.

 

This course is offered fall and spring semesters.
Courses are not offered summer semester.
For more information, see the Course Schedule

This course is one of the courses comprising our International Food Law Certificate Program sponsored by the College of Agriculture and the Institute for Food Laws and Regulations at Michigan State University. The program provides a series of region-specific, Internet-based, food law courses designed for anyone who must understand the legal and regulatory complexities of the flow of food and agricultural products across national boundaries.

The other courses in this series include our two new courses on OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) (Section 736) and IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) (Section 737), Codex Alimentarius {The Food Code) (Section 735), an overview course, International Food Laws and Regulations, (Section 730), and our region specific courses: Food Regulation in the United States (Section 731), Food Regulation in Canada (Section 734),and Food Regulation in Latin American (Section 733). These courses are all Internet-based and are offered concurrently with this one. Please see the preview for the specific course in which you are interested. Also, in development are courses on Food Regulation in the Middle East and Food Regulation in Asia.

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