Dr. David Barling

David BarlingTitle: Reader in Food Policy

Room: C311

Tel: +44 (0)20 7040 8792

Email: d.barling@city.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • PhD, MA (Keele); BA Hons (Warwick)

Current Position

  • Reader in Food Policy

Research Interests

My research area is in food policy and political economy. In particular, the governance and regulation of the agri-food sector and of the food supply. This covers: food security, support regimes and standards-setting at international, EU and UK levels, and food chains and sustainability policy.


This work has included:
Regulatory strategies of the state and its inter-relationships with private sector and civil society forms of governance
The international politics and global governance of policy making on agriculture and food, notably in standards-setting and support regimes.
UK national food security policy, food supply and sustainability
Politics and regulation of food traceability.
Governance and transparency along food chains
Environmental regulation of food chains and of GM crops and food.
Policy boundaries and means of policy integration in relation to food and environmental and health policy (at UK and EU levels)

Recent Publications

  • Lang, T., Barling, D., Caraher, M. (2009) Food Policy: integrating health, environment and society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Coff, C., Barling, D., Korthals, M. & Nielson, T. eds. (2008) Ethical Traceability and Communicating Food. Dordrecht: Springer.

Journal Articles

  • Barling, D., Sharpe, R. & Lang, T. (2009) “Traceability and ethical concerns in the UK wheat-bread chain: from food safety to provenance to transparency”, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 7 (4): 261-278.
  • Rayner, G., Barling, D., Lang, T. (2008) “Sustainable Food Systems in Europe: policies, realities and futures”, Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 3 (2 /3): 145-168.
  • Barling, D. (2007) “Food supply chain governance and public health externalities: upstream policy initiatives and the UK State”, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 20 (3): 285-300.
  • T. Lang, M. Rayner, G. Rayner, Barling D. & E. Millstone (2005) “Policy Councils on Food, Nutrition & Physical Activity: the UK as a case study.” Public Health Nutrition, 8 (1): 11-19.
  • Barling D. and T. Lang (2003) Editors of Politics of Food, themed section in Political Quarterly, 74(1).
  • D. Barling & T. Lang (2003) “The Politics of UK Food Policy”, Political Quarterly, 74 (1): 4-7
  • Barling D. & T. Lang (2003) "A Reluctant Food Policy?  The First Five Years of Food Policy under Labour."  Political Quarterly, 74 (1): 8-18.       
  • Barling D. (2003) “Impact of international policies (CAP) and agreements (WTO) on the development of organic farming.” in F. den Hond, P. Groenewegen & N. van Straalen eds. Pesticides: Problems, Improvements, Alternatives. Oxford: Blackwell Science: 221-240.
  • Barling D. & T. Lang (2003) Codex, the EU and Developing Countries: an analysis of developments in international food standards setting. London: Programme of Advisory Support Services for Rural Livelihoods - Department for International Development.
  • Barling D.., Lang T.., M. Caraher (2002), “Joined up food policy? The trials of governance, public policy and food systems”, Social Policy and Administration, 36 (6): 556-574.
  • Barling D. (2002) “The European response to GM foods: rethinking food governance”, in B. Bailey & M. Lappe eds. Engineering the Farm: The Social and Ethical Aspects of Agricultural Biotechnology, Washington DC: Island Press: 95-111.
  • Lang T.., Barling D.., M. Caraher (2001) “Food, Social Policy and the Environment: Towards a New Model.” Social Policy and Administration, 35 (5): 538-558.
  • Millstone, E., Lang, T., Naska, A., Eames, M., Barling, D., van Zwanenberg, P. and Trichopoulou, A. (2001) “European Policy on Food Safety on Food safety – Comments and Suggestions on the Food Safety White Paper”. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 11 (12): 458-466. 

Recent research & consultancy contracts

  • National sustainable food security in the UK. Esmee Fairburn Foundation 2007-8 (named researcher)
  • European Food Systems in a changing world – Scientific Forward Look: European Science Foundation/COST. Retail and consumption section. 2007 (principal researcher).
  • EU Public Health rapid alert management and food traceability systems – unit of Traceback integrated project (EU 6th framework) 2008 (named researcher).
  • Ethical Traceability and informed food choice (5 nation collaboration) inc. study of traceability and ethics in the UK wheat into bread supply chains. EU 6th framework programme: 2004-7 (named researcher)
  • Food safety norms, public health and consumers: international governance challenges, report for the Steering Committee for Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality for the Netherlands: 2005 (principal researcher).
  • Codex, the EU and Developing Countries: an analysis of developments in international food standards setting: report for the Rural Livelihoods Department of the UK Department for International Development (DfID): 2003 (named researcher). 

Member of:

  • UK Prime Minister's Strategy Unit's Expert Advisory panel for Food and Food Policy Sept 2007 - July 2008.
  • UK Government Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) Organic Action Plan team for England
  • British Standards Institute committee AW/90 Quality Systems for the Food Industry (co-opted member)
  • Council member of Sustain (UK food and farming alliance of @ 100 NGOs)
  • Chair of Sustain’s Good Food on a Public Plate Project (public procurement of sustainable local food)
  • Member of Food Standards Agency’s National Codex Consultative Committee
  • Joint co-ordinator of the UK Agri-food Network a joint NGO-academic seminar series funded by the Network Foundation 2003-6
  • Editorial board of the international journal Agriculture and Human Values
  • European Society for Rural Sociology
  • Research Committee on the Sociology of Agriculture and Food (RC 40) of the International Sociological Association
  • Political Studies Association of the UK

Current teaching

  • MSc Food Policy module: FPM 002 Political Economy of Food; FPM 004 Food, Public Health and the Environment (team taught); FPM 005 MSc Dissertation (team taught). 
  • PhD supervision in Food Policy. Current topics:
    • traceability and the dynamics of fish supply chains;
    • regulation of pesticides and their substitution in the EU;
    • regulation and innovation in the Canadian agri-food industry.