Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy

Meet the UCLA Future of Food Fellows! The Fellows are in interdisciplinary cohort of immensely talented doctoral and master's students in law, chemistry, and engineering.?The fellowship was created to unite students across disciplines to drive the field of cellular agriculture forward, contributing to the movement to build sustainable systems. We can't wait to see what they do with this amazing opportunity! Read more: https://lnkd.in/gCBGD_49

Our October Book Pick is HERE! In Frostbite, brilliant writer Nicola Twilley breaks down the history and far-reaching impacts of an innovation that we all use (and take for granted) every day. Not only is it a fun read, but what she discovers has far-reaching impacts for all of us. Let us know if you give it a read and what you think! ? ? ? #resnickbookpicks #uclalaw #ucla #foodlaw #foodhistory #foodpolicy

Are you a current 2L law student or do you know a current 2L who has an interest in Food & Beverage legal work? Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has a paid, part-time opportunity for a?2L Diversity Law Clerk for its Food + Beverage Industry group?during the Spring 2025 term of the student’s academic year. This is a remote position with the potential to travel to DWT’s Portland office for a visit during the term. ? The law clerk will write blog posts and conducting legal research on developments in food, beverage, and agriculture law. DWT's Food + Beverage team provides seamless legal services to leading-edge food, beverage, and agriculture businesses across a wide spectrum of areas of expertise including food and alcohol regulatory, antitrust, business and corporate, employment, food safety, venture capital financing, land use and real property, supply chain and intellectual property. Their clients include emerging food brands, large and small food and alcohol manufacturers, and agriculture businesses including fruit growers and milk producers. ? Work hours will be flexible and accommodating to school schedules. More details can be found on DWT's Careers website or with the link below. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PDT on October 20, 2024. https://lnkd.in/gDgrB2Gb

Yesterday we gathered with students working on projects in conjunction with the Resnick Center for a lunch and chat ? Students were working on diverse projects that illuminate the multidisciplinary nature of food law, including: ??Exploring the links between soil health and food production ?? Researching the future of new USDA rules affecting meat labeling ?? Examining frameworks to better train food workers on handling food allergens in food service environments And more! Along with our JD students, we also had an LLM student and a PhD Student! We love working with all kinds of students to produce meaningful work on important issues in food ?

We recorded a new episode for our Podcast, Repast, and we hope you'll give it a listen and share with those you think might be interested. In this episode Michael and Diana talk with Catherine Sweetser, Deputy Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights and the Director of the Human Rights Litigation Clinic at UCLA Law. Professor Sweetser discusses her work against slavery and human trafficking in the global food supply chain, particularly in the context of chocolate production, the U.S. Supreme Court case?Nestle USA Inc. v. Doe?(2021), and how lawyers, advocates, and students can make a difference in this area. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eMDk2gfx Catherine Sweetser?is Deputy Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights and the Director of the Human Rights Litigation Clinic at UCLA Law. Michael T. Roberts?is the Executive Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy at UCLA Law. Diana Winters?is the Deputy Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy at UCLA Law.

The USDA released updated guidelines to "strengthen substantiation of animal-raising and environment-related claims on meat and poultry labels." But, do the updated guidelines really change anything? Short answer: NOT REALLY! Scroll through for some details and submit your comment at the link below. Comments matter! #foodlaw #foodpolicy #agriculture https://lnkd.in/gnGQ5bHM

August was Breastfeeding Awareness Month ??! So UCLA graduate Chidera Anthony-Wise wrote an article for the Resnick Center blog on the topic, unpacking the benefits and multifaceted nature of breastfeeding for babies and mothers alike. It is titled "Restricted Access to the 'First Food': Analyzing Breastfeeding Injustices." In the piece, Chidera details two cases of systemic injustice regarding the access to breast milk, particularly impacting Black infants. Through the discussion of active and forthcoming legislative efforts, she spotlights key actors in the improvement of breastfeeding equity, education, and financial support to expand access to the "first food." Check out Chidera’s article here: https://lnkd.in/gyhJwYzS

Our September Book Pick is here and we can’t wait to hear what you think about it! This one was picked by our research assistant, Melissa, who worked in the meat industry for many years. She says, “Will Harris has been a transformative force in the meat industry, voicing his call to change current animal agriculture practices precisely because he knows them well. Harris inherited his ranch, White Oak Pastures , as a full time commodity operation, using chemicals, antibiotics, steroids, and more. It was his own experience of the denigration those methods cause that inspired him to change the way he runs his ranch. His personal experience is really important in efforts to change industry norms—other ranchers believe him because he speaks their language and he knows the challenges they face. Now he’s written a book for us- to help us know how to source our food, how to inform ourselves, and how to speak a little of that language, too.” #resnickbookpicks #resnickbookpick #resnickcenter

California passed a first-in-the-nation law to ban harmful chemicals in school food! The bill, AB 2316, was introduced in the California Assembly by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, the representative for the San Fernando Valley. (Not far from UCLA!) We linked to the latest text of the bill, which was enrolled and sent to Governor Newsom on 8/29. If signed, the ban takes effect December 31, 2027 and mandates that foods served to students do not contain Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. We've linked to the text of the bill below so you can check it out for yourself! Bear in mind the Act amends existing sections of the Education Code relating to pupil nutrition so, if you read it, you will encounter all of those existing guidelines as well. https://lnkd.in/gpG3dRu7

Resnick Center Executive Director & UCLA Law Professor Michael Roberts is looking forward to speaking at this year's iCAMP24! The 3rd Annual Cultivated Meat & Alternative Protein Summit hosted by the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein. He will be speaking on a panel titled "?State of Global & US Domestic Policy on Alternative Proteins?" with leading global experts where we will discuss the current state of global policy for alternative meats and proteins. ? Join us September 9th at the University of California, Davis! Register here:?https://lnkd.in/gGiV6yAy ? #iCAMP24?#iCAMP?#altprotein?#alternativeprotein?#plantbased?#fungalbased?#cultivatedmeat?#food?#foodinnovation?#ucdavis?#umbc