The Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law has compiled an expansive online resource that tracks issues at the intersection of the novel coronavirus pandemic and food law and policy.

Crafted in collaboration with the law school’s Hugh and Hazel Darling Law Library, the guide, “COVID-19 and Food Law,” is a resource for scholars, researchers, officials, lawyers and other members of the public who seek information on matters of heightened interest during the public health crisis, including food security and safety, supply chain maintenance, and the safety of farm or food-service workers.

It includes links to food-related official guidance from state, federal, global and private agencies; a list of proposed and enacted state and federal legislation; and selected articles that focus on pandemic-related issues including food and the economy, diet and nutrition, feeding low-income children, and environmental impact. It also offers links to open-access repositories of media reports related to COVID-19 and food law and policy. 

Over time, the guide will include legal scholarship detailing the impact of COVID-19 on food law and policy, and it will help galvanize thinking around how the law can help build resiliency in food systems if major disruptions akin to the COVID-19 pandemic occur in the future.

“Food is of paramount concern during the COVID-19 crisis — we’re all eaters — and this resource will help scholars, lawyers and other interested people navigate this ever-changing aspect of our lives today,” says Resnick Center executive director Michael Roberts, who will maintain and continue to expand the guide along with its primary developers, Resnick Center assistant director Diana Winters and law librarian Jennifer Lentz.