The Concepts of Food Security and the Right to Safe Food from the International and European Perspective

• Author: Toma-Bianov, A. - Saramet, O
• Position: Department of Law, Transilvania University of Brasov - Department of Law, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 153-158

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braúov • Vol. 5 (54) No. 1 - 2012

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law

THE CONCEPTS OF FOOD SECURITY AND

THE RIGHT TO SAFE FOOD FROM THE

INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN

PERSPECTIVE

A. TOMA-BIANOV1 O. ùARAMET2

Abstract: Food security and the right to safe food are two concepts largely

exploited in the international and European discourse and also two juridical

realities that have become a matter of ever increasing international and

regional concern. In analysing both the conce ptualization and the normative

settlement of food secu rity and the right to safe food in the United Nations

Organization and European Union, this paper suggests that improvements

and progresses s hould be achieved in order to enhance a proactive

cooperation between national and international institutions in this particular

area.

Key words: food, security, safe, right.

1 Department of Law, Transilvania University of Braúov.

2 Department of Law, Transilvania University of Braúov

1. Introduction

Economic globalization represents a

significant challenge for the fulfilment of

the food security – the main issue to

address in this article. Structured in seven

chapters and using the concepts of food

security and the right to safe food as an

entry point, t his article argues that

international law is in need of rethinking

under globalization.

Chapter 2 of the present article presents

an international perspective upon food

security. Chapter 3 articulates the normative

content of the right to safe food in the

international law while Chapter 4 presents

the European normative framework of food

security. Chapter 5 analyses the similarities

and distinctiveness of the two concepts in

order to creat e the background for militating

for the right-based approach to food

security, an approach that makes food

security not just a desirable goal but an

effective juridical concept.

2. The Conc ept of Food Security in the

International Discourse

The concept of food security was

developed in the 1970s, being the topic of

public discourse for a few decades. It has

acquired a number of different meanings

over the time. It is estimated estimated that

approximately 200 definitions and 450

indicators of food security exist in the

juridical literature [1].

At the 1974 World Food Conference,

food security was defined as the

“availability at all times of adequate world

food supplies of basic foodstuffs … to