Food Label Regulations in the United States and European Community:

Growing interdependence among the world's food markets presents increased trade and investment opportunities for food firms. Although international trade agreements have recently been negotiated which will likely lead to increased food trade, especially among Western nations, revised product standards and technical regulations used in the course of implementing these agreements have potential to create trade barriers that are less obvious. This paper assesses recent developments in food quality and labeling regulations in the European Community (EC) and United States. The regulatory changes taking place in these large trading partners have the potential to result in trade barriers based on meeting technical standards, especially since the reforms are being pursued independently in each country.