Consumers have been much more demanding as regards the food they consume. In order to respond to these concerns, the regulatory bodies have, over the last few decades, adopted a significant number of rules, which the entire food sector had to abide by.
This body of rules in operation today takes the shape of a vast and complex network, of which those adopted by the European institutions are an important part. They influence the rules already in place at the national level and have an impact on the entirety of the industry outside of Europe, given the strength and size of the European market.
This explains the importance of these norms and the necessity to have a thorough understanding of their scope and structure.
In order to assist the reader, these norms are presented in an orderly fashion throughout this code. All the relevant aspects are covered: safety, additives, consumer information, health claims, labels, biotechnology, specific foodstuffs, etc.
This code was put together as part of the Lascaux programme, a European research project in the area of food law (http://www.droit-aliments-terre.eu).