Jan 13, 2022
A Food Systems Approach
The Resnick Center’s engagement in food systems thinking allows it to focus on the development of food governance strategies to promote accountability, transparency and safety in the national and global food chain.
Through its publications, courses, clinic and events, the Resnick Center affords students valuable scholarship, research and networking opportunities.Students can also gain unique policy advocacy training within the food justice movement through UCLA Law’s clinical education curriculum.
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To forward its mission, the Resnick Center works with UCLA Law students and faculty and the broader UCLA and UC communities, and engages with national and international scholars, experts and policymakers. The Center also maintains a robust slate of outside advisors, including its Outside Advisory Board, and its Research Affiliates, who are recent law school graduates working to better the food system who will consult and assist on various Resnick Center research projects.
Projects
Food Research & Scholarship
The Resnick Center publishes and contributes to scholarship that is foundational to food law and policy, stimulating discussion about global food system approaches and governance strategies while also providing solutions for local communities through clinical education.
On Food Law
A blog that highlights center publications and activities and provides a forum for food law scholars to discuss ideas and share work, managed by the Resnick Center and the Food Law Lab at Harvard University.
Food Law & Policy Clinic
Students become policy advocates within the food justice movement, pursuing positive, systemic change in the areas of food insecurity, public health, workers’ rights, urban agriculture, land use, animal welfare and social entrepreneurship.
Repast: A Food Law & Policy Podcast
A podcast during which we interview thought leaders in the field of food law and policy to discuss past achievements, current developments, and future challenges.
Careers in Public Interest Food Law and Policy
A guide to help law students and graduates understand the varied directions of a public interest food law career.
COVID-19 and Food Law
Resources on the intersection of Covid-19 and food law and policy for scholars, researchers, and officials.
Food-Based Pro Bono Opportunities
This guide is intended to facilitate the delivery of pro bono legal services to help those in America who are food insecure.
Who We Are
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Directors & Fellows
Michael T. Roberts
Executive Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy,
Professor from PracticeDiana R. H. Winters
Director of the Health Law and Policy Program
Deputy Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and PolicyHilal Elver
Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy Global Distinguished FellowMelissa Shapiro
International Food Law and Policy Fellow -
Outside Advisory Board
David T. Biderman
Partner, Perkins CoieKevin Boylan
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Powerplant VenturesEthan Brown
Founder & CEO, Beyond MeatPaula Daniels
Co-founder and Chair at The Center for Good Food Purchasing and Commissioner, California State Water CommissionMichael Dimock
President, Roots of ChangeMarsha Echols
Professor, Howard University School of Law, and Director, The World Food LawEvan Graham-Arango
Owner, founder and farmer at Ojai Roots Farm in Ojai, CAJeremy Halpern
Partner, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLPTom Harkin
Former U.S. Senator, IowaSascha Henry
Partner, Sheppard MullinJoshua T. Hofheimer
Partner, Sidley Austin LLPKim Kessler
Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, New York City Department of HealthKristen R. Klesh
Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLPCorby Kummer
Senior Editor at The AtlanticJason Lawler
Associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPRobert Lustig
M.D. Professor of Pediatrics Endocrinology Division, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of MedicineMichael Reese
Reese, LLPStewart A. Resnick
Chairman and President, The Wonderful Company, LLCRick Shackleford
Greenberg Traurig Food & Beverage Group Co-ChairThomas Tobin
Associate, Perkins CoieBernhard van Lengerich
PhD, Former CSO and VP Technology Strategy, General Mills Inc.; Board Member, Beyond Meat, Inc.Gillian Wade
Partner, Milstein Jackson Fairchild & Wade LLPNury H. Yoo
Partner, Faegre Drinker -
Research Affiliates
Evan Graham Arango
Evan Graham Arango is the owner, founder and farmer at Ojai Roots Farm in Ojai, CA. He graduated UCLA Law in 2020 specializing in environmental law and taking courses in food and agricultural law and policy. He supports the small-scale regenerative farming movement currently underway and advocates for policies that help build a more resilient and sustainable food system.Jabari Brown
Jabari Brown received his JD from University of Oregon School of Law, focusing on food law and policy. During law school, he led a national group of Food Law Students and studied at Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic. Prior to law school, he worked in the environmental sector in consulting and natural resource management. Since receiving his undergraduate degree in environmental science from UC Berkeley, Jabari has been passionate about promoting basic needs policy, inclusive equity, and data-based analysis.Brian Fink
Brian A. Fink is an associate attorney at Danow, McMullan & Panoff in New York City, where he focuses his practice on the unique challenges of the food and beverage industries. He writes frequently about food law and policy. His most recent publication is FSMA on the Farm, a handbook designed to help agribusinesses understand how federal food-safety laws apply to their operations. Before entering private practice, he held food-law fellowships at Yale Law School and Harvard Law School. He earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2017 and his B.A. from University of Washington in 2011.Beth Kent
Beth Kent is an Emmett/Frankel Fellow in Environmental Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law for 2020-2022. She earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law with a specialization in Public Interest Law & Policy from the Epstein Program, and she actively participated in UCLA Law's environmental and food law programs.Rita Mansuryan
Rita Mansuryan is an associate attorney in the Product Liability and Mass Tort Practice Group at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. She guides clients through complex litigation and consumer fraud class action matters, focusing her practice on the food and agribusiness industry. She is also a board member of the Resnick Outside Advisory Board. -
Affiliated Faculty
Taimie L. Bryant
Professor of LawCara Horowitz
Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Executive Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
Director, Frank G. Wells Environmental Law ClinicJill R. Horwitz
David Sanders Professorship in Law and Medicine
Professor of Public Affairs (by courtesy)
Founding Faculty Director, Program on Philanthropy and Nonprofits
Vice Dean for Faculty and Intellectual Life (2019-2021)Timothy Malloy
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program
Frank G. Wells Endowed Chair in Environmental LawAlex Wang
Professor of Law
Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
Publications by Type
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Books
Food Law: Cases and Materials (Wolters Kluwer 2019)
Jacob E. Gersen
Margot J. Pollans
Michael T. Roberts
Food Law in the United States (Cambridge University Press 2016)
Michael T. Roberts -
Whitepapers
A "Food Systems Thinking" Roadmap for Policymakers and Retailers to Save the Ecosystem by Saving the Endangered Honey Producer from the Devastating Consequences of Honey Fraud
Michael Roberts
White Paper: The Pursuit of Food Authenticity - Recommended Legal & Policy Strategies to Eradicate Economically Motivated Adulteration (Food Fraud)
Michael T. Roberts and Whitney Turk
Food Equity, Social Justice, and the Role of Law Schools: A Call to Action
Kim Kessler and Emily Chen -
Journal Articles
Regulating Farming: Balancing Food Safety and Environmental Protection in a Cooperative Governance Regime
Margot PollansReview of Outbreak: Foodborne Illness and the Struggle for Food Safety
Diana R. H. WintersRetooling American Foodralism
Laurie J. Beyranevand and Diana Winters
Food Law at the Outset of the Trump Administration
Diana R. H. Winters
Genetically Modified Food Labeling in China: In Pursuit of a Rational Path
Michael T. Roberts
The Importance of the Right to Food for Achieving Global Health
Emilie K. Aguirre
The Beginnings of the Journal of Food Law & Policy
Michael T. Roberts
Sickeningly Sweet: Analysis and Solutions for Adverse Dietary Consequences of European Agricultural Law
Emilie K. Aguirre
Liberalising Agricultural Policy for Sugar in Europe Risks Damaging Public Health
Emilie K. Aguirre - Book Chapters
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News Articles
Scandal could lead to lawsuits against sugary beverage industry
Michael T. Roberts & Emilie Aguirre
Congressional Outlook 2016: Food
Emilie K. Aguirre - Food Policy Trackers
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Summaries and Reports
Executive Summary: Roundtable on Market Innovation and Plant Based Foods
Executive Summary: Roundtable on Social Entrepreneurship in the Food Sector
Resnick Program Student Compendium: Topics in Food Law and Policy - Spring 2016
Damian A. Martin, Justine Coleman
California Aquaculture Law Symposium: Summary Report
Austin Bryniarski
Resnick Program Conference Reflection Papers
Michael Roberts, Kim Kessler, Sean Hecht, Diana Winters, Samuel Wiseman, Denis Stearns
UCLA-Harvard Food Law and Policy Conference Panel 3 Compendium – Fall 2014
UCLA-Harvard Food Law and Policy Conference Panel 2 Compendium – Fall 2014
UCLA-Harvard Food Law and Policy Conference Panel 1 Compendium – Fall 2014
Resnick Program Student Compendium: Topics in Food Law and Policy - Fall 2014
Ben Leonard, David Winston - Guides
For Students
The Center's educational component features high-caliber classes, conferences, workshops, and experiential learning. Students enjoy working with Center faculty and fellows on various research projects and publications. New student opportunities to immerse in food law include experiential learning through the Food Law and Policy Clinic and interdisciplinary exchange through the new UCLA Graduate Food Studies Certificate Program.
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Curriculum
Course Offerings: 2019-2020
- Law 440: Introduction to Food Law and Policy, taught by Executive Director Michael T. Roberts, focuses on how food law as a response to the modern food system has adapted and developed into a distinctive area of law.
- Law 165: Historical Perspective: The Role of Law in the Pursuit of a Moral Food System, also taught by Executive Director Michael T. Roberts, surveys and compares the moral and cultural bases used for historical and modern regulation of food.
- Law 913: Regulating Food, taught by Assistant Director Diana R. H. Winters, discuss the significant leeway that state and local governments have to regulate the food system, and the boundaries of this power.
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Food Law and Policy Clinic
The Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy has one of the only clinical programs in the country dedicated to Food Law and Policy. The Clinic allows students to take on the role of policy advocate within the food justice movement, which calls for positive, systemic change in the areas of food insecurity, public health, workers’ rights, urban agriculture, land use, animal welfare, and social entrepreneurship.
As part of the course, students will develop and implement several policy advocacy strategies, including:
- Working with local stakeholders in the food system to identify, develop, and implement new and impactful policy initiatives;
- Providing guidance and education to food innovators regarding laws and policies related to food access and food waste and recovery; and
- Using social change campaigns and legal needs assessments to promote food equity for underserved individuals and communities.
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UCLA Graduate Food Studies Certificate Program
2022 graduates of the program with Michael Roberts (far right). With food security and environmental sustainability becoming increasing global concerns, there is an urgency to educate the next generation of leaders with strong interdisciplinary foundations. The Food Studies Graduate Certificate Program offers UCLA PhD, MA and professional school students the opportunity to investigate this growing field. The program will prepare students from diverse disciplines to address complex topics that span food cultures and histories, nutrition and public health, food policy and food justice, urban planning, and agrifood systems and the environment. For more information about the certificate, visit the UCLA Food Studies Certificate Program website.
Resources
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On Food Law Blog
On Food Law highlights center publications and activities and provides a forum for food law scholars to discuss ideas and share work. The blog is managed by the Resnick Center and the Food Law Lab at Harvard University.
Read the blog.
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Resnick Newsletter
Keep up to date with the Resnick Center's news, events, partnerships and publications.
Please reach out to us at resnickcenter@law.ucla.edu for more information, to join our mailing list, to get involved, or to donate to our work.
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