Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024 - 326

BOOK REVIEW
Food Regulation: Law, Science, Policy, and Practice 3rd Edition
Neal D. Fortin
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2022
512 pages
ISBN: 9781119764274
Reviewed by: Purnendu C. Vasavada
Food industry professionals, including product developers, processors,
marketing specialists, managers as well as students studying food
science and technology, need basic knowledge and familiarity with food
regulations and the agencies that are responsible for regulating the food
industry. While textbooks and other sources of credible information address
major disciplines of food science and technology - food chemistry, food
microbiology, food processing and engineering, nutrition, etc., few textbooks
address food law and regulations or how regulatory agencies operate. Also
of importance is information that is suitable for a food industry audience
with very little background and familiarity with the subject matter.
The 3rd edition of Food Regulation: Law, Science, Policy and Practice is
an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about the
nuances of regulating the U.S. food industry. It also is an ideal textbook or
companion book for undergraduate or graduate courses in food science
and nutrition, food safety and quality management, as well as food law
and regulations. Using a modified casebook method, the textbook explores
laws and regulations and explains complex food regulations of the United
States (U.S.) in a readable and understandable way.
The book is divided into 6 parts: Part I -An introduction to food regulations in the U.S. and a discussion of " What is Food? "
Part II discusses regulations related to labeling, including advertising and claims, food labeling, nutritional labeling, and
health claims. Part III addresses the regulations around the composition of food and includes detailed information on
adulteration, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA), and food additives. Part IV discusses specialized food regulations, including those dealing with
dietary supplements, genetic engineering and biotechnology, food defense, importation/exportation, and animal food. Part
V addresses inspection and enforcement. Lastly, Part VI entitled " General Chapters " covers administrative law and food
regulation, international food law, and professionalism and ethics. Each chapter includes interesting case studies, additional
exercises, and discussion questions covering different aspects of food law designed to help develop critical thinking skills.
The textbook provides historical aspects of the U.S. food laws and regulations and an overview of the governmental
regulatory agencies, their organization and jurisdictions, and discussion of important topics such as dietary supplements,
FSMA regulations, food defense, genetic engineering, and biotechnology as well as labeling, product liability, food safety
rules, and ethical issues. While the textbook's focus is on the U.S. food laws and regulations, the author also has provided
some international context.
It is a well written book with significant updates on topics, such as FSMA, Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF), and
Foreign Supply Verification Program (FSVP). This book should serve as a valuable reference for a wide audience of students
and food industry professionals interested in learning about the U.S. food laws and regulations as well as organization and
jurisdiction of the regulatory agencies that govern them.
Overall, the book provides thorough and practical coverage of food law and regulations and should be an excellent reference
for food technologists, product developers, quality assurance personnel, regulatory specialists, and others interested in
understanding the complexities associated with regulating the U.S. food system.
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Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024

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