Stuart Pape (Government ’70, Law ’73) visited Paul Freedman’s Food Politics J-Term class. His presentation, The Politics of Food: Some Perspectives on the History and Character of U.S. Food Safety Regulation , covered all the hot food topics of the day: GMO salmon, Chipotle’s struggle with norovirus and E. coli, raw milk, and the existential question, “What is mayonnaise?”

Dr. Pape solicited input from the class with a series of questions to test students’ moral mettle and risk-tolerance: Who would eat genetically modified salmon? Who would return to Chipotle for a burrito in the wake of the E. coli breakout? What kind of mother would give her baby 7-Up instead of milk?

Dr. Pape is an attorney with Polsinelli in Washington, D.C , a law firm where he heads the food industry consultation. Previously, he worked as associate chief counsel for food in the Office of the Chief of Counsel at the FDA . He also served as executive assistant to FDA Commissioner Donald Kennedy.

Dr. Pape’s visit follows a class visit to Polyface farm, Joel Salatin’s circle of life/systems-approach to farming livestock and saving the world from itself.