"From commodity to public health concern: The transformation of food policy in the European Union"

This paper takes up a significant development in EU policymaking in the area of public health and consumer protection-the transformation of EU food policy in its priority orientation from market to public health and consumer safety, and the underlying process of paradigm shift to institutional shift in food policy sector. The evolution of EU food policy is outlined with an emphasis on the key policy developments of the past five years. Case studies of issues and related events that represent key turning points-the food crises triggered by "mad cow disease" (BSE) and dioxin-contaminated Belgian poultry-are highlighted in their contribution to these policy shifts and incorporated into the analysis. The theoretical concepts of policy paradigms and underlying mechanisms of paradigm shifts contributing to system shifts are also further developed