Objectives: The LL.M. in Food Law is a flagship postgraduate program of the Luiss School of Law, designed for an international audience seeking rigorous, practice-oriented specialization in food regulation. Food law today lies at the intersection of global trade, public health, sustainability, innovation and consumer protection. The regulatory framework governing the food sector is increasingly complex, covering the entire value chain: agriculture and industrial production, safety and quality standards, distribution, international trade, environmental protection and technological development. The program provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of this evolving legal ecosystem. Grounded in European Union law and international regulatory frameworks, it combines legal expertise with economic, technical and policy perspectives. Its objective is not only to provide advanced knowledge, but also to equip participants with the analytical and strategic tools needed to address contemporary global challenges and contribute to the development of effective and forward-looking food policies.
Participants: The LL.M. in Food Law is designed for graduates and professionals who wish to strengthen their expertise in the legal and regulatory dimensions of food systems.
Each edition brings together a diverse and international cohort, including:
- Lawyers and legal professionals
- Public officials and policy experts
- Professionals from international organizations
- Corporate managers in the agri-food sector
- Experts in food science and regulatory affairs
The program is open not only to law graduates, but also to candidates from related disciplines whose work intersects with food regulation, international trade, sustainability and food governance. The diversity of academic and professional backgrounds creates a dynamic learning environment where academic knowledge and practical experience interact, fostering meaningful exchange and long-term professional connections
Credits: 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System).
Diploma: Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Food Law - Master universitario di secondo livello.
Duration of Program: one academic year.
Language: English is the language of the courses and of the other activities.
Content: legal references stem from the European Union and the international rules and practices. Moreover, the courses go beyond the legal field; where needed, the programme also provides indispensable economic and technical notions. The faculty of the LL.M programme is composed of renowned scholars, high officials of regulatory bodies and institutions, as well as prominent agricultural, industrial, commercial operators and experts. The course content ranges from: the institutional grounds of food legislation, to the regulatory tenets of safety, security and environmental protection, to the instruments and bodies of quality and traceability monitoring, to the correct safeguard of consumers, to the requirements for certifications of origin, including "made in", to the legal profiles of distribution and agro-food contractual policies, to the rules of free competition, to the responsibility of business operators along the production-distribution-consumption chain. Particular attention is given to the regulation of technological innovation in the food sector, as well as to bio-agriculture technologies. Furthemore, upon attainment of the diploma, specific care is dedicated to the opening of concrete working perspectives, which consist of a wide offer of stages and traineeships in various specific areas of students’ potential interest. During the programme, contacts with the "world" of food related activities, organizations and institutions and connected initiatives are already proposed.
Examinations and Master’s Thesis: at the end of each Module, students will take a written exam. Having completed their mandatory teaching hours, students will work on a Master’s thesis based on a topic selected among those examined in the single subject modules.
Class: as to foster the participation of professionals and interested graduates, classes are held primarily:
- Fridays: 02:00 pm – 08:00 pm
- Saturdays: 08:30 am – 01:30 pm
- The classes of the last module – Training Course (“Luiss Summer School on International Trade and Food Law”) will take place for a week in July, not only on Friday and Saturday, but also from Monday to Thursday from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Laboratories and practice-oriented seminars duly integrate the frontal lessons. Experts operating in the various fields related to food regulation and industry illustrate and discuss with the students their concrete working life experience.