E-food control: challenges for the UE in the digital era = El control de los @limentos: retos para la UE en la era digital
[eng] E-grocery shopping is increasingly popular, but a significant part of the food products available online do not comply with food law requirements. The official control systems designed by Member States on the basis of the harmonized rules of the European Union, are not adapted to the digital r...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2018 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de la UB |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/123312 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/123312 http://hdl.handle.net/10803/586095 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Seguretat alimentària Comerç electrònic Regulació del comerç Dret alimentari Food security Electronic commerce Trade regulation Food law and legislation |
| Sumario: | [eng] E-grocery shopping is increasingly popular, but a significant part of the food products available online do not comply with food law requirements. The official control systems designed by Member States on the basis of the harmonized rules of the European Union, are not adapted to the digital reality. Additionally, digital platforms that allow individuals to share and exchange goods and services have brought peer-to-peer trade back to the political arena in the era of the “collaborative economy,” also when it comes to food. However, competent authorities do not know how to supervise this trade. This thesis identifies ten challenges faced by the competent authorities when organizing and performing control activities on e-foods. The Spanish competent authorities, like those of many other Member States, do not know how to overcome these challenges. Building on a comparative study of the legal framework of Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom, I evaluate the strategy that these last two Member States have adopted on e-food control. The objective of the regulatory and policy comparison is to identify good practices applicable to the rest of Europe, including Spain. The legislation is different in each Member State, and so is the approach to e-food control. Germany has created a centralized unit that monitors e-food offers, aiming to improve the overall safety of the digital market. The United Kingdom has focused on clarifying the legal framework that applies to controls online, and on providing competent authorities with tools to ensure that food establishments and active operators in the digital market are included in official controls. The conclusions and proposals of this thesis are based on the analysis of both approaches, and of the coordination and support initiatives that have recently been carried out by the European Commission. |
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