Technical regulation of agri-food trade

International agri-food trade is an integral part of the modern food system and requires regulatory coordination among countries to serve a beneficial role. The World Trade Organization provides one forum for multilateral regulatory transparency. This chapter reviews the more than 200 specific trade concerns (STCs) raised about technical barriers to trade of agri-food products in the WTO's TBT Committee, with additional examination of six long-running STCs over food nutrition labelling. There are similarities but also differences in the concerns directed toward the regulations of developed and developing countries and toward which other members STCs are directed. Different views have emerged on the merit of front-of-package health warning labels. Many factors enter into the dynamics of this and other regulatory decision making. Ongoing domestic-international interface is needed to facilitate narrowing differences of national regulatory decisions to avoid unnecessary barrier to trade while achieving health, safety quality and other objectives. There are diverse research challenges to support and understand these decisions.