Teaching code

4S009817

Teacher

Leonardo Fabio Pastorino

Coordinator

Leonardo Fabio Pastorino

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

IUS/03 - AGRI-FOOD LAW

Period

1° periodo lezioni (1B) dal Nov 5, 2025 al Dec 17, 2025.

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.

Program

The course aims to deepen the problems of food security and food safety (Goal 2 and 3). Specific policies and disciplines will be analyzed, as well as the differences between the different roles covered by public and private subjects.
Distance lessons (6 hours)
• Agro-food law and its relationship with agricultural law
• The food, legal definitions, characteristics, conditions and special regulations. The importance of food
• The denomination of food product 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)
Face-to-face lessons (30 hours)
• Risk assessment and precautionary principle
• Responsibility in the food supply chain and traceability (goal 12)
• Self-control and official controls
• Public and private certification
• The role of the contracts for supply, accessibility, safety and quality of food
• Labeling: voluntary and mandatory information
• Animal welfare
• Hygiene package
During the course, focuses will be organized with the support of the PBS (problem based solving) methodology on the fundamentals of food law. Discussions and presentations by students will be organized on the various special regulations (additives, supplements, allergens, novel foods, GMOs, flavors and enzymes, materials in contact with food, etc.) topics that integrate the program.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course includes the combination of 30 hours lectures (supported by the use of PPT presentations) with group exercises organized according to the Problem Based Solving (PBS) method. Another 6 hours will be recorded in advance.
At the beginning of the course, further details on the program and the activities during the course will be provided via the Moodle platform.
Non-attending students are invited to consult the Moodle platform and contact the professor in case of doubts as well as to check if regulatory changes have occurred.
During the course, focuses will be organized with the support of the PBS (problem based solving) methodology on the fundamentals of food law. Discussions and presentations by students will be organized on the various special regulations (additives, supplements, allergens, novel foods, GMOs, flavors and enzymes, materials in contact with food, etc.) topics that integrate the program.
At the end of the course, the presentation of the in-depth papers and the final discussion are organized.

Learning assessment procedures

The assessment will be conducted in Italian.
For attending students, the assessment will be based on two different elements:
Oral exam on topics covered during the course (50%)
Paper (maximum 3,000 words), presentation of the paper, and participation in activities carried out during the course (50%)
For non-attending students, the assessment will be conducted through a single oral exam.
Erasmus students attending who wish to take the exam in Spanish or English are requested 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 exam sessions of the same academic year. A specific reading list in English will be provided for this purpose.
An attending student is defined as having attended at least 75% of the lessons.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation will take place through the following criteria:
- the depth and breadth of the knowledge gained;
- the property of language;
- analytical and argumentative ability;
- the capacity for critical reflection.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final evaluation is expressed in 30ths. The awarding of honors is linked to the following evaluation of the exam: complete control of the discipline, excellent language skills, excellent analytical and argumentative skills and critical reflection on the legislation.

Exam language

Italiano. Gli studenti Erasmus frequentanti che desiderino sostenere l'esame in spagnolo o in inglese sono pregati di contattare il docente prima dell'inizio del corso o durante la prima settimana di lezione.

Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

This initiative contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030. More information on sustainability