Over the past two decades the growth of the organic sector has been accompanied by a shift away from first party, or peer review, systems of certification and towards third party certification, in which a disinterested party is responsible for the development of organic standards and the verification of producer compliance. This paper explores some of the limitations of the third party certification model and presents the case of Mexico as an example of how an alternative form of participatory certification has emerged. The paper suggests that participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are reflective of the growing ''beyond organic'' movement, which focuses on reconstructing the local and re-embedding food systems into their socio-ecological contexts. It argues that PGS offers a number of benefits for producers and consumers, particularly in the South, but that it faces a number of challenges as well, such as a lack of formal recognition, social conflicts and dependence on donated resources.

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While the development of large scale biobanks continues, ethics and policy challenges persist. Debate surrounds key issues such as giving and withdrawing consent, incidental findings and return of results, and ownership and control of tissue samples. Studies of public perception have demonstrated a lack of consensus on these issues, particularly in different jurisdictions. We conducted a telephone survey of members of the public in Alberta, Canada. The survey addressed the aforementioned issues, but also explored public trust in the individuals and institutions involved in biobanking research. Results show that the Alberta public is fairly consistent in their responses and that those who preferred a broad consent model were also less likely to desire continuing control and a right to withdraw samples. The study raises questions about the role of public perceptions and opinions, particularly in the absence of consensus.

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