Teaching code

4S009817

Teacher

Leonardo Fabio Pastorino

Coordinator

Leonardo Fabio Pastorino

Credits

6

Also offered in courses:

• Food safety and food defense law of the course Master's degree in Law and criminology studies for security and intelligence

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

IUS/03 - AGRI-FOOD LAW

Period

1° periodo lezioni (1B) dal Nov 5, 2026 al Dec 17, 2026.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course is included in the learning area on Law, new technologies, and sustainability. The course aims to provide students with basic knowledge on the main features that characterize agri-food law, including the basics of agricultural law, the production and distribution chains in agri-food law, the legal outlines of environmental sustainability related to agricultural production, and the rational exploitation of the land, the regulatory threshold of food, including in the wine sector, market rules and consumer interests, the protection of the quality of agri-food products and the corresponding labeling rules.
At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the ability to formulate, autonomously and critically, complex opinions and argumentations on the main topics of the course.
At the end of the course, the student will also have acquired the ability to face and solve practical problems typical of the professional context in which he/she will operate, thus orienting his/her competence to the goal of contractual compliance and to the prevention of the judicial conflict. He/she will be able to verify the practical and applicative consequences of the theoretical and regulatory framework and to set, in written and oral form (and also through group working, written exercises and the method of Problem Based Solving - PBS), the solution of concrete issues, using the appropriate and specific disciplinary vocabulary, adopting the correct lines of reasoning and argumentation, and formulating autonomous judgments. The teaching method used is functional to the continuous learning and updating of acquired knowledge.

Prerequisites and basic notions

System of sources and institutions of European law (specific material will be available on the course Moodle platform).

Program

The course aims to explore food safety issues in the dual sense of food security and food safety (Goal 2 and 3). Specific policies and disciplines will be analyzed, as well as the differences between the roles played by public and private entities.
Distance learning (6 hours):
• Agri-food law and its relationship with agricultural law
• Food, legal definitions, characteristics, conditions and special regulations. The importance of food
• Food denomination, product names and free circulation in the European Union
• The sources of food law and European, state and regional competences
• Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002, presentation (Goal 3)
• Operator's liability
In-person lessons (30 hours):
• Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002: definitions, objectives, principles, obligations of operators, EFSA and functions
• Hygiene and self-control package
• Official food controls and certification systems;
• Labelling and communication: voluntary and mandatory information, as well as nutritional and health claims (Goal 12); • Disciplinary sectors requiring a specific risk assessment (Goal 3);
• Animal welfare (Goal 12);
• Food security, sovereignty and defence and the right to food (Goal 2);

Bibliography

Didactic methods

During the course, focus groups will be organized using the PBS (problem-based solving) methodology to cover the fundamentals of food legislation.
Discussions (including via the Moodle forum) and student presentations will also be held on various special regulations (additives, supplements, allergens, novel foods, GMOs, flavorings and enzymes, food contact materials, etc.), topics that complement the curriculum.

Learning assessment procedures

The learning assessment will be carried out in Italian.
A written test with a multiple-choice system. A pass with a score of 40% or higher allows students to access the oral exam, which consists of the presentation of an essay developed under the guidance of the teacher during the course.
For non-attending students, learning will be assessed through a single oral exam.
Erasmus students attending the course who wish to take the exam in Spanish or English are asked to contact the instructor before the start of the course or during the first week of classes. For the exam in both languages, a written exam is required with priority in each exam session. Students who obtain a score above 18 will be eligible to take the oral exam in the same academic year. A specific reading list will be provided in English for this purpose.
Attending students are defined as having attended at least 75% of the classes.

Evaluation criteria

Evaluation will be based on the following criteria:
For the written exam: concreteness, assertiveness, and knowledge of the entire programme.
For the oral exam:
- the depth and breadth of knowledge acquired;
- command of language;
- analytical and argumentative skills;
- creativity and active participation during the course;
- the ability to reflect critically.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade is expressed out of 30. 50% of the final grade depends on the written exam, while the other 50% depends on the oral exam, which must be passed with a minimum score of 18/30.

Exam language

Italiano, spagnolo e inglese.

Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

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