Bilateral positive integration : different strategies for regulatory cooperation in the TTIP

This article discusses regulatory cooperation in the area of food safety in trade agreements with a special attention to the EU-US negotiations about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. We show how food safety is regulated in trade agreements and what regulatory cooperation approaches between countries and internationally regarding food safety exist. There were several high-profile disputes at the WTO dealing with food safety issues. These cases show how solutions for heterogeneous food safety regulation can be found and constitute viable alternatives to regulatory cooperation and harmonization of standards. A "race to the bottom" of food safety standards is not necessarily the case when countries cooperate on food safety matters.