ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the reader with the principles underpinning legislation and policies concerning food safety. It reviews how food safety is achieved through the current regulatory and legal framework, both internationally and locally, including in the United States, Canada, Dubai, Oman, Australia, and Europe. A global lens is necessary in an era of globalization and free trade. Alongside international and local laws, the chapter will also discusses how certifications and international standards further foster an environment of safe food production and supply. Food laws are mainly established based on risk and severity. Risk is the chance or probability that a given hazard will occur, whereas severity is the degree of damage one hazard could cause. The chapter concludes with future challenges that the current regulatory framework of food safety faces, including globalization, health threats, and technologies identified by the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.
