308.665.11
Regulatory Landscape of Food Safety: History, Science and Law
Location
East Baltimore
Term
Summer Institute
Department
Health Policy and Management
Credit(s)
2
Academic Year
2026 - 2027
Instruction Method
In-Person
Start Date
Monday, June 1, 2026
End Date
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
M, Tu, 8:30am - 5:00pm
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
One Year Only
Resources
Prerequisite
No prerequisites for this course.
Enrollment Restriction
undergraduates are not permitted in this course
From formaldehyde as a preservative in milk to lead added to baby food to enhance color, threats to public health from the food we eat have persisted for hundreds of years. This course examines the contours of domestic food safety regulation and its role in protecting and promoting public health. The basis of federal, state, and local food safety responsibilities will be explored, along with the ways food safety policy intersects with food availability and equity, nutrition, and One Health efforts.
Provides an introduction to the history of the development of food safety law and regulation in the United States, as well as the process by which food safety policy is made domestically. Explores complementary authorities of local, state, and federal government and the types of food policy that are influenced by each. Discusses contemporary issues and threats to food safety, paying particular attention to controversies that intersect with other areas of food systems development and health policy.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Describe how food regulation operates as a public health intervention to improve health and its legal basis
- Identify opportunities for improving food regulatory policy to enhance health
- Discuss how food safety supports the development of resilient and healthy food systems
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 35% In-class Exercises
- 25% Group Work
- 40% Final Paper
Students complete readings in advance of the face-to-face sessions. Final policy brief due after the conclusion of the face-to-face sessions, on a date determined by the instructor no later than early August.