略论19世纪美国的食品立法及其对当代中国的启示

长期以来,19世纪中叶以后美国严重的食品掺假问题被认为是联邦政府自由放任、缺乏有效监管的结果。因而1906年通过的《联邦食品与药品法》也就被顺势看作美国食品监管进程中的一个重要里程碑。然而,在此之前的19世纪,部分州政府就已针对食品掺假问题进行相关立法,国会也试图颁行全国性法律。某种程度上,19世纪美国州政府和国会的食品立法为1906年联邦法律的出台奠定了法理基础。两者其实是内在连贯发展的关系,体现了美国食品监管的重心由地方而至中央的显著＂联邦化＂趋势。同时,食品立法的艰难和曲折也凸显了美国公共政策制定过程中各利益集团之间的博弈机制。

U. S Food Legislation in the 19th Century and its Significance for the Current China

For a long time after the 19th century,the serious problem of U.S food adulteration was considered as the result of the lack of effective supervision and the laissez-faire of federal government.Thus,The Federal Food and Drug Act passed in 1906 was regarded as an important milestone in the process of U.S food supervision.However,before the 19th century,some states’ governments were against the adulteration of food-related legislation,and the congress also tried to enact national legislation.To some extent,the food legislation by states’ governments and the congress in the 19th century laid the legal basis for the Food and Drug Act in 1906.There is actually intrinsic and coherent development relationship,reflecting the trend of "Federalization" of the U.S food regulation from the local to the central.Meanwhile,the difficulty and twist of the food legislation also highlights the mechanism of the game institute in the public policy-making process between various interest groups.