The main cross-border food trade streams within and to Europe.

Abstract

By identifying the most relevant agri-food trade streams we show trading volumes in selected countries and establish a foundation for later research in the e-Trust project, with particular consideration of the specific role of trust in these transactions and how it can then be transferred to e-commerce. For the elaboration of the collected data, mainly the international statistical database of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOSTAT) is used as a common basis for comparison. This procedure is applied to six European traders in agricultural products (Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Spain) and three non-European countries (the USA, Brazil and Turkey). In line with the statistical sources mentioned above, primary commodities are grouped into four categories: cereals, meat, fruit and vegetables, and olive oil. The trade streams will be identified for each of the above-mentioned countries and for the agri-food chains of the four product groups with regard to the following criteria: the two most relevant products for export at every level of the agri-food chain with the two most relevant destination countries; and the two most relevant products for import at every level of the agri-food chain with the two most relevant countries of origin. The findings of the trade streams analysis show that the trade structures in the selected countries are diverse, and present a complex picture. Wheat and maize are major primary cereal commodities that are imported as well as exported. Most meat imports and exports are of cattle, pigs or chickens. Overlapping trade streams could be identified between some countries, such as Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain. The outcome of the trade streams analysis provides industry with measures to enhance the sustainable introduction of e-commerce. Using the findings of the statistical databases, enterprises can obtain an assessment of the level of traded volume and products. These give a clear picture of where the various countries stand with regard to most traded agri-food products compared to cross-border exchanges and where potential for the introduction of e-commerce might exist.