Regulatory aspects

Abstract

Globally increased food fraud and adulteration through practices including, among the others, misrepresentation or mislabeling led to the development of laws, policies, and standards to produce authentic and traceable food products in several countries. It is critical to review the national regulations to provide a comparative evaluation of global food authenticity and traceability systems. Accordingly, in this chapter, an overview of the present food authenticity and traceability regulations in European countries (European Union and other exporting countries), the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries are presented. Overall, considering the complexity of worldwide food networks, the development of standardized and harmonized regulations to improve authenticity and traceability across the whole food sector is not only challenging but also a necessity for the entire food industry.