Food and pharmaceutical law aims to protect the quality and quantity of essential products. The history of these laws dates back to the 13th century, with the Assise of Bread being one of the earliest recorded laws. Modernization of these laws began in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with expansions to cover prescription medicines and cosmetic products. Food and drug administration is handled by large government departments, such as the FDA in America and the Food Standards Agency in the UK.
Food and pharmaceutical law refers to regulatory measures aimed at protecting the quality and quantity of essential foods, beverages, medical products and cosmetics. The history of food and drug law dates back to the 13th century, although the laws remained surprisingly lax in many areas until the mid-20th century. Food and pharmaceutical legislation is considered by many to be essential to ensure a supply of safe products for consumers; laws can cover anything from product labeling to protecting participants in clinical drug trials.
One of the earliest recorded food and drug laws is known as the Assise of Bread, created in early 13th century England. Bread was an important dietary food for most of the population at that time, but until the Assise del Pane there were no laws to protect the quality of the product. The Assise del Pane has banned the use of additives, such as ground beans, in the production of bread. Furthermore, the law regulated the size and weight of the bread; bakers, fearing reprisals, began adding another loaf to an order of bread to ensure weight regulations were met. The result of this practice is the baker’s dozen, or the practice of throwing in an additional loaf of bread when a dozen are ordered.
The modernization of food and pharmaceutical law began in earnest in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when mass production of foodstuffs and medicines became possible. In 1990, President Lincoln of the United States opened a new department within the Bureau of Agriculture known as the Bureau of Chemistry, which was dedicated to studying the presence of adulterants in foods, beverages, and drugs. In 20, the United States passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, which among other things regulated the labeling practice for available drugs containing cocaine, opiates and cannabis. The Meat Inspection Act, inspired in part by author Upton Sinclair’s horrific tale of meat packing plants, The Jungle, passed that same year.
In the 21st century, food and drug legislation can cover an extremely broad area of regulatory, import and manufacturing procedures. Expansions to the initial basic laws include the testing, manufacturing and regulation of prescription medicines and the outlawing of certain drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines. Cosmetic products, such as make-up, shampoo and soap, are also often regulated by food and drug laws. Food and drug administration is handled by large government departments in many areas, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in America, the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
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