Food Laws and Regulations in Canada

Course Code: FSC 814

Credits: 3 credits

This course examines the laws, regulations, and policies that govern food regulation in Canada. The emphasis is on federal laws, but also includes food regulation by provinces. Food law will be discussed with reference to the role of politics, cultural issues, ethics, social injustice issues, and science. The course emphasizes the practical use and importance of food law to the food professional.

The course is taught by use of case studies, problem solving, class discussions, and review of current issues. Instruction will be completely online using D2L (Desire 2 Learn). The primary objective of this course is for students to understand the Canadian laws regulating food. All reading assignments will be available as downloads within the modules or via the provided URLs. The course syllabus is subject to change each semester but generally covers the following topics:

History of food regulation in Canada
Constitutionality and regulatory framework
Food labeling
Nutritional labeling
Health claims
Advertising
Regulating food quality
Food safety regulations
Food fraud
Food safety, prevention and foodborne illnesses
Additives
Food from recombinant DNA organisms
Natural health products
Importation and exportation of food
Government inspections
Government enforcement
Private actions
International activities

Schedule:

This course is offered each spring semester.

Tips for first time enrollees:

Non-MSU students and food industry professionals may enroll for this course through MSU's Lifelong Education portal. (Make sure to choose 'first-time user' and then 'NON-DEGREE' from the drop down list on the application.) Transcript submission is not required through the Lifelong Education program.