Food law and policy: an initial assessment of an emerging academic field

Food and agriculture systems play a prominent role in some of the most pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges, including global rates of diet-related disease, the environmental degradation and climate impacts attributed to food production and transportation, and disparities in food access and food security, especially with recent global shocks to the food supply. While the study of food-related topics like food science and nutrition have a long history, the study of food law and policy is relatively new. This article seeks to examine the field of food law and policy within academia, as a proxy for understanding how national governments and educational systems are equipping future leaders with the knowledge and tools to instigate systemic change. Using data from courses and other academic offerings from nearly 500 universities around the globe, a review of relevant legal scholarship over the past thirty years, and interviews with scholars from each continent, the investigation aims to quantify the global extent of academic focus on food law and policy, illuminate distinctions in academic interest across regions, and document the growth of relevant scholarship in this field over time.