Are food safety standards different from other food standards? A political economy perspective

The Political Economy of Food Standard Determination: International Evidence from Maximum Residue Limits

“…Marette and Beghin (2010) find that policy makers may also prescribe overly low food safety standards if domestic producers are at a comparative disadvantage in compliance. Swinnen and Vandemoortele (2009) argue that policy makers generally set food safety standards more stringent than other food quality standards (e.g., nutrition contents) because of the risk to public health.…”

The perception of food quality. Profiling Italian consumers

“…Faced with requests for reassurance and information by increasingly demanding consumers, European and domestic public entities have responded by passing legislation such as the standards pertaining to product traceability and labelling (Savov & Kouzmanov, 2009). In order to guarantee the quality and safety of products, a variety of international regulations have been introduced, including ISO 9001 (International Organization for Standardization) standards, defining the requirements which a quality system needs to have in place in order to ensure control throughout the production process and prevent or detect any non-conformities; as regards operational tools there is the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) system, whose purpose is to achieve self-checking objectives (Pham, Jones, Sargeant, Marshall, & Dewey, 2010;Ramphal & Simelane, 2010;Savov & Kouzmanov, 2009;Swinnen & Vandemoortele, 2009).…”

The Australian Food and Trust Survey: Demographic indicators associated with food safety and quality concerns

“…It is now recognised that food safety and quality concerns are critical in all the components of the food supply chain (Angulo & Gil, 2007;Rohr, Luddecke, Drusch, Muller, & Alvensleben, 2005). Consumers are increasingly expecting better quality products and safer foods (Angulo & Gil, 2007;Lupien, 2007;Swinnen & Vandemoortele, 2009) and these higher expectations are resulting in higher requirements being placed upon producers and exporters (Savov & Kouzmanov, 2009). Coupled with the rise in consumer activist groups and the possibility of adverse media reporting (Sofos, 2008), increased pressure has been placed upon policy makers and law makers to ensure food safety and quality are maintained to a high standard (Savov & Kouzmanov, 2009).…”

“…Knowledge of safe food handling at the level of retail and household now include a plethora of practices including correct procedures for personal hygiene, safe food temperatures, adequate cooking facilities, and avoiding cross contamination of food (Commonwealth of Australia, 2001;Fryer & Robbins, 2005;Hillers, Medeiros, Kendall, Chen, & DiMascola, 2003;Medeiros et al, 2004;Trienekens & Zuurbrier, 2008). At the other end of the food chain the introduction of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems manage microbial issues through identification and monitoring of hazards by the food industry (Garcia Martinez, Fearne, Caswell, & Henson, 2007); alongside of increased, enforcement of standards, use of inspectors, and labelling of products (Campbell et al, 1998;Letia & Groza, 2010;Magnussan, 2010;Nestle & Ludwig, 2010;Pham, Jones, Sargeant, Marshall, & Dewey, 2010;Ramphal & Simelane, 2010;Swinnen & Vandemoortele, 2009).…”