Food: a commodity or a fundamental right? The difficulty of regulating the food system in Italy

The subject of food is a highly complex one for the study of law because it is a multifaceted good with a dual nature. Food is a commodity but also nourishment; it is a commercial product but also a vital good. Food law does not fully recognise this dual nature. Extensive, strong commercial and industrial regulation has not been matched by equally strong public legislation dedicated to the valorisation of food as a fundamental good and resource. The current global food system, which is based on the commodification of food, is characterised by the inequitable distribution of food and agricultural resources. The first part of this article will briefly analyse the way European and Italian food laws approach food, including their criticisms and dysfunctions. This analysis will be followed by a search for alternative models that value the vision of food as a resource for dignified human life.