Cuban Food Law: Legal foundations, challenges and perspectives

Food law in Cuba has been transformed in recent years since the constitutional reform of 2019. In this sense, for the first time, from a legal point of view, the right to food is regulated, and priority is given to sovereignty and sustainability in food production. Despite these advances, the legal framework remains fragmented and lacks a unified Food Code. In addition, several institutions share overlapping responsibilities, resulting in poor implementation of legal precepts. Key laws such as Law 148/2022 and Decree-Law 9/2020 establish food safety, traceability, labelling and consumer protection principles, which align with international standards such as Codex Alimentarius. However, judicial remedies are limited, and public participation in food matters is weak. The current system relies heavily on administrative enforcement and needs more coherence regarding legal structure, terminology and institutional coordination. It is therefore essential to strengthen academic research and legal training in food law to consolidate it as an autonomous field.