Food Labeling and the Environment

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Date

2019-06-19

Authors

Wiseman, Samuel R.
Wiseman, Hannah J.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon School of Law

Abstract

Despite its bucolic associations, agriculture—in its modern, industrialized form—has numerous and substantial negative impacts on the environment, including habitat loss; water pollution from fertilizer, animal waste, and pesticide runoff; soil erosion; depletion of water resources for irrigation; and air pollution, among others.These harms are exacerbated in the United States by the numerous statutory exemptions from otherwise applicable environmental regulations that the agricultural industry enjoys. More stringent regulation is clearly needed, but, in light of the formidable strength of the farm lobby, it is worth considering whether there are other ways of reducing agriculture’s environmental harms that could be more readily implemented. This Article will propose one alternative: harnessing increased consumers’ interest in the provenance of their food by creating a certification and labeling program for food produced in an environmentally responsible fashion.

Description

24 pages

Keywords

Agriculture, United States, Pollution, Pesticides, Food safety

Citation

34 J. Envtl. L. & Litig. 1