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Food Legislation

Code: 103236 ECTS Credits: 3
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Food Science and Technology OB 4

Contact

Name:
Eduard Grau Noguer
Email:
eduard.grau@uab.cat

Teachers

Eduard Grau Noguer

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

Although there are no official prerequisites, it is advisable for students to review the knowledge acquired in the following subjects:

  • Food Safety Management and Public Health (3rd year)
  • Hygiene and Self-Control Systems (3rd year)

Objectives and Contextualisation

The course of Food Legislation is a transversal and fundamental subject that aims to ensure that the student is able to know and understand the legal framework, apply and develop the normative principles of food law and the specific regulations that regulate the agri-food sector from primary production to the consumer.

General objective:

To Identify, analyse and understand the legislative system applicable to the production and marketing of food at the Spanish, European Union and international levels.

Specific objectives:

  • to provide to the students with the adequate knowledge about the main bodies and their functions, in the legislative and technical field, which are framed at the Spanish, European Union and international levels.
  • provide to the students with the adequate knowledge about the legislative process in the European Union in the field of food safety and nutrition.
  • to train the students on the purpose of harmonising food legislation:
    • consumer protection;
    • establish equal food production and marketing practices at the European Union and international levels;
    • guarantee good professional practices, including professional ethics, and;
    • publish and disseminate the law of the matter of this course.

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values. 
  • Adopt an ethical stance and attach importance to quality in work.
  • Communicate effectively with both professional and non-professional audiences, orally and in writing, in the first language and/or in English.
  • Interpret and apply agrofood regulations.
  • Provide auditing and legal, scientific and technical advisory services to the agri-food industry.
  • Search for, manage and interpret information from different sources.
  • Show sensitivity to environmental, sanitary and social issues.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge. 

Learning Outcomes

  1. Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values. 
  2. Adopt an approach that is holistic and respectful of legal provisions when applying the technical knowledge acquired.
  3. Adopt an ethical stance and attach importance to quality in work.
  4. Carry out technical surveys based on scientific, legal and ethical data.
  5. Communicate effectively with both professional and non-professional audiences, orally and in writing, in the first language and/or in English.
  6. Describe the scientific sources of the law governing the agrofood business and comply with its principles.
  7. Evaluate legislation in several different countries and write the reports on these.
  8. Explain and provide a basis for the historical mechanisms of codes of conduct, legislation and civil responsibility in accordance with the cultures and degree of development of each country.
  9. Explain the profession's ethical principles.
  10. Issue expert reports taking into account existing legislation.
  11. Recognise and explain the factors that influence the degree of compliance with legislation.
  12. Recognise the risks of failure to comply with the law.
  13. Search for, manage and interpret information from different sources.
  14. Show sensitivity to environmental, sanitary and social issues.
  15. Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge. 
  16. Use legal terminology correctly.

Content

This course is divided into the following two blocks: (1) Law introduction and (2) Food legislation. The content of each block is detailed below:

Topic 1.- Presentation of the course

(1) Law introduction

Topic 2.- What it means to be a State. What is 'the Law'. What is the Public Administration and which are its different types

Topic 3.- The legal system. The constitution, laws and regulatory norms

Topic 4.- Administrative decisions. Resources and administrative control

Topic 5.- The public function

Topic 6.- Administration, the citizen and the company from a legal point of view.

 

(2) Food legislation

Topic 7.- Food law at international level

7.1 Role, structure and functioning of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

7.2 Role, structure and functioning of the World Health Organization (WHO)

7.3 Role, structure and functioning of the Codex Alimentarius

7.4 Role, structure and functioning of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

Topic 8.- Introduction to the law at European Union level

8.1. Primary and secondary legislation

8.2 Legislative bodies of the European Union

8.3 The food legislative process in the European Union

Topic 9.- Food law at the European Union level

9.1 The White Paper on Food Safety

9.2 Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 on the principles of food law

9.3 Risk analysis: evaluation, management and communication

9.4 Role, structure and functioning of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and its legislative impact

9.5 Role, structure and functioning of the European Commission and the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE)

Topic 10.- Distribution of competences among the main bodies involved in food safety in the Spanish State

10.1 Role, structure and functioning of the main food-related agencies at the state level

10.2 Role, structure and operation of the main food-related organisms in Catalonia

Topic 11.- Ethics and ethics in professional practice and ethical principles

Topic 12.- Areas of professional responsibility


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Expert speaker conference 2 0.08 9, 12, 16
Lectures 16 0.64 2, 3, 13, 6, 4, 9, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 7
Seminars 8 0.32 2, 3, 5, 14, 6, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16
Type: Supervised      
Seminars- tutorials 8 0.32 5, 11, 16
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of practical cases and and exercises for the continuing evaluation 15 0.6 2, 3, 13, 6, 4, 9, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 7
Self Learning 24 0.96 2, 13, 6, 9, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 7

The teaching methodology of the subject is mixed, as detailed below:

In-person (26 hours):

  • Master and inverse class sessions (16 hours). These sessions will consist of expository classes, where the fundamental concepts of the content of the course will be explained. Of the total hours of the master classes, 4 hours will be allocated to the first block and 12 hours to the second.
  • Seminar sessions (8 hours). These sessions will consist of working, analysis, presentation and discussion sessions of tasks carried out during these sessions.
  • Conferences (2 hours). Throughout the course there will be two conferences (in-person or online) by invited people, experts in the subject of this course.

Self-directed study:

  • Self-learning activities: students must carry out different tasks independently that will contribute to the preparation of the course from material provided by the teaching personnel of this course. These are tasks that imply the additional investigation of information by the students on one or various issues, and that must be submitted and defended
    orally.

For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searching, proofreading, or translations. The student must clearly identify which parts were generated with this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these influenced the process and the final result of the activity. Lack of transparency in the use of AI in assessable activities will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in a partial or total penalty in the activity grade, or greater sanctions in serious cases.

The documentation of the subject, class presentations, working document, etc., will be available to the students on the Virtual Campus (http://cv.uab.cat) andin the specific case of the theory presentations of the master class sessions, they will be accessible after each session in order for the students to exercise the ability to take notes on the most important aspects.

In addition, one hour of resolution of doubts will be scheduled prior to the examination. Attendance at this activity is voluntary.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
BPL tasks and course attendance 35% 0 0 1, 15, 2, 3, 13, 5, 14, 6, 4, 9, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 7
Examination: Lntroduction to Law and Food legislation 25% Introduction to Law; 40% Food legislation 2 0.08 2, 6, 4, 9, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 7

Acknowledging that this course does not contemplate any form of unique assessment system, the student assessment will be carried out as detailed below:

1.- Theoretical tests (theoretical examination) (65 %)

1.1.- Test 1: Introduction to law (25 %)

1.2.- Test 2: Food Legislation (40 %)

2.- Self-learning tasks (25 %)

2.1.- Written tasks (15 %)

2.2.- Oral presentation (5 %)

2.3.- Participation in discussions (5 %)

3.- Attendance to theoretical classes, seminars and conferences (10 %)

Students will pass the course when they pass both theoretical exams with at least 5.0/10.0 and their overall mark for the course represents at least 50 % of the total assessment. In the case of not passing some of the theoretical tests, the students will have the possibility of making a recovery of this exam, respecting the weight of each one.

A student will be considered not evaluable when her/his participation in the assessment activities is less than or equal to 15 % of the final mark.


Bibliography

(1) Law introduction 

Vicente, E. Elementos de derecho público. (2014). Octava edición. Tecnos.

Gamero, E. & Fernández, S. (2024). Manual básico de Derecho Administrativo. Vigésima primera edición. Tecnos.

(2) Food legislation

Abbott, K., & Sindal, D. (2000). Hard and Soft Law in International Governance. The MIT Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2601340

Pronto, AN. (2015). Understanding the Hard/Soft Distinction in International Law. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1204&context=vjtl

World Trade Organization. (1995). Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/15-sps.pdf

Kotwal, V. (2016). Codex Alimentarius Commission: Role in International Food Standards Setting. In Encyclopedia of Food and Health (pp. 197–205). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-384947-2.00397-4

Chiti, M. (2002). Derecho Administrativo europeo. Primera edición. Tratados Manuales.

European Union. Consolidated Version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. (2025). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=legissum%3A4301854

European Commission. (1997). Green Paper on European food law. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_97_370

European Commission. (2000). White Paper on food safety. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:51999DC0719

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety, Official Journal of the European Communities (L31). http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:031:0001:0024:EN:PDF

Regulation (EU) No 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, L 95 Official Journal of the European Union (L95). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32017R0625&from=ES

Web

Codex Alimentarius standards. https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/list-standards/en/

European Union. EUR-Lex Access to European Union Law. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html?locale=en

Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. https://www.boe.es/

Butlletí Oficial del Parlament de Catalunya. https://www.parlament.cat/web/documentacio/publicacions/butlleti-bopc/index.html


Software

There are no programs for this subject 


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester afternoon