Food Regulation and Trade: Toward a Safe and Open Global Food System

Guarding the safety of a nation's food supply, ensuring quality and providing information to consumers so that they can make food-purchase choices are widely accepted as universal obligations of governments. But differences in the way that governments fulfil these obligations can lead to trade conflicts. The potential for such conflicts increases as more affluent and safety-conscious consumers demand additional regulations in the national food systems. Governments should handle these conflicts in a way that upholds food safety standards - and public confidence in them - while preserving the framework for trade and the benefits of an open food system. This work examines the state of regulation of the increasingly global food system. It analyzes the underlying causes of the trade conflicts (both those that are currently evident and those that are waiting in the wings), and outlines the steps that could be taken to ensure that food safety and open trade become at the least compatible and at best mutually supporting.