Fed up with the right to food? : the Netherlands' policies and practices regarding the human right to adequate food

There is no one in this world who would deny the importance of access to adequate food for every human being. In fact, access to food has been declared a human right in 1948 with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In spite of the right to food to be more than half a century old, many are not aware, misunderstand or even marginalize this human right. This book serves two purposes and many audiences. First, it is meant for those who want to get a better understanding of the right to food and how this right has been developed in international law. Second, it also explains why this human right has been marginalized by one of the richest countries in the world: the Netherlands. As such this unique collection of articles provides an exciting view on the making of law and policy, with contributions from lawyers, sociologists and human rights defenders. The differences between agricultural law and food law are becoming progressively blurred. This is only natural because both intend to control that food products placed in the market are safe and respond to a certain standard of quality. In their present form, both are relatively new legal disciplines, evolving and expanding very rapidly and a great number of new and transcendental regulations (and an increasing number of compulsory private rules) are being enacted to respond to new realities. One of these new realities is the legal protection of quality in food. Once almost exclusively applied to a limited number of traditional well-known products and now extended to many products covered by designations of origin or geographical indications. Another area is food safety, a major concern of the legislator. Food alerts, recalls and withdrawals have been carefully regulated to guarantee a rapid and efficient reaction, but these legal mechanisms appear to be less well-designed when dealing with the unwanted consequences of unjustified alerts. A third topic is food prices and trading conditions, an area that cannot always be completely left to unregulated market-forces due to the special nature of the product involved. The above issues are analysed by several experts from different legal backgrounds and countries, a varied approach adequate to the hybrid nature of food law. ## From agricultural to food law Table of contents 11. EU competition law as applied in the agriculture sector Nicole Coutrelis 11.1 The basic principles of EU competition law 11.2 The specific application of competition rules in the agriculture sector: a brief historical overview 11.3 Current situation: provisions of the single CMO 11.3.1 General rules regarding competition law applying to all undertakings in the agriculture sector: Articles 206-210 and 222 of Regulation (EU) No1308/2013 11.3.2 Specific sectorial provisions of Regulation (EU) No 308/2013 11.4 To conclude: a few comments ## Legal and judicial framework in Italy The new Italian regulation of commercial transactions in the food sector Legal protection of quality in food is now extended to many products covered by designations of origin or geographical indications. Food alerts, recalls and withdrawals have been carefully regulated, but the unwanted consequences of unjustified alerts are problematic. A third topic is food prices and trading conditions.