I just finished teaching a group of bright Canadian law students a basic course on multilateral and regional trade law. At one point I couldn't resist asking them if they had ever eaten a genetically modified food product. Of course they had no idea. So much for consumer preferences.
A casual count will show that almost half of WTO disputes initiated relate to edible products, and this trend is likely to continue: see IHT's write ups on food safety here and here. Not to mention Brazil's new challenge to US farm subsidies. At the same time, the India - Alcoholic Beverages dispute is out of the way, for now.
Tell me what you eat, I will tell you what your your trade disputes are.
T.
