Spencer Henson

Food safety regulation: an overview of contemporary issues

Abstract This article discusses a number of issues that are influencing the evolution of food safety regulation in developed and, to a lesser extent, developing countries. Whilst not definitive, it aims to highlight those factors which are considered crucial to an understanding of contemporary food safety controls in both the public and private spheres. These issues include criteria applied to assess the need/justification for food safety regulation, relationships between public and private food safety control systems, alternative forms that public food safety regulation can take, strategic responses to food safety regulation, and the trade implications of national food safety controls. The article serves as an introduction to these issues, which are discussed at greater length in the other papers that make up this special issue of Food Policy .

Barriers to Agricultural Exports from Developing Countries: The Role of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Requirements

This paper explores the impact of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in developed countries on developing country exports of agricultural and food products. It identifies the problems that developing countries face in meeting SPS requirements and how these relate to the nature of SPS measures and the compliance resources available to government and the supply chain. The paper examines the impact of the WTOs SPS Agreement on the extent to which SPS measures impede exports from developing countries. It identifies the problems that limit the participation of developing countries in the SPS Agreement and their concerns about the way in which it currently operates.

The demand for food safety : Market imperfections and the role of government

Abstract This article reviews and comments upon a number of models of consumer choice of foods and diets with different real or perceived risks and benefits associated with them. The article proceeds to discuss the imperfections and externalities in the market which result in a market solution which may provide too much or (more typically) too little food safety for individual consumers and for society. The likely societal magnitudes of some of the costs of food-borne ill-health are also discussed. The case for government intervention is quite clear, but care must be taken not to impose too high a level of food safety.

Food safety regulation and the firm: understanding the compliance process1

Abstract An understanding of the process by which businesses comply with legal requirements is an essential, although frequently ignored, aspect of food safety regulation. The process of compliance is investigated through a postal survey and in-depth interviews with technical directors in a cross-section of food manufacturers and retailers in the UK. Although there are differences in the specific manner in which individual businesses comply with food safety regulations, it is evident that firms follow a common sequence of activities when deciding whether to comply with a new regulation, the stage at which compliance is implemented, and the specific changes made in order to achieve compliance. It is argued that the promulgation of efficient and effective food safety regulations requires an understanding of the compliance process.

Costs and benefits of implementing HACCP in the UK dairy processing sector

Abstract This paper reports the results of a study of the costs and benefits associated with the implementation and operation of HACCP in the UK dairy processing sector. The results suggest that the major cost of implementing and operating HACCP in dairy processing plants is staff time required to document the system. The costs of capital investment and external technical expertise are less important. The most important benefit is the enhanced ability to retain existing customers. The results have implications for the adoption of HACCP in the UK dairy processing sector as well as the food industry as a whole.

Demand-side constraints on the introduction of new food technologies: The case of food irradiation

The paper explores the factors influencing consumer acceptance of new food technologies through an in-depth analysis of consumer reactions to food irradiation. Consumer acceptance/rejection of innovative food technologies is the result of a complex decisionmaking process which involves an assessment of the perceived risks and benefits associated with the new technology and existing alternatives. The acceptance of a new food technology is not simply related to the basic characteristics of the process itself but also the individual food consumer and the economic, political and social environment in which food choices take place. Consequently, it is difficult to make generalisations about consumer acceptance/rejection of particular food technologies. Therefore, strategies aimed at improving the rate at which such technologies are adopted must address a wide range of issues related to the technology itself and the food system into which it is introduced.

Economic determinants of food safety controls in supply of retailer own-branded products in United Kingdom

Whilst major multiple food retailers in the UK have gained commercial advantage from increased sales of own-branded food products, this trend has exposed them to greater risks of product failure. In a bid to manage these risks, multiple food retailers have implemented complex and very costly food safety control systems in the procurement of own-branded products. Using a transaction costs framework, the paper suggests that multiple food retailers have encouraged the development of third party agencies as institutions through which the costs associated with food safety controls can be reduced, whilst maintaining an acceptable risk of product failure.

Exploring Incentives for the Adoption of Food Safety Controls: HACCP Implementation in the U.K. Dairy Sector

This article explores the incentives that motivate the adoption of food safety controls by businesses through a study of HACCP adoption in the U.K. dairy processing sector. The study identifies four key factors that have motivated the adoption of HACCP, namely, internal efficiency, commercial pressure, external requirements, and good practice. Respondents to the survey are clustered according to the relative importance of these factors in their adoption decision. Four clusters are identified and related to the characteristics of firms, including firm size and type of products manufactured. The results indicate that there are systematic differences in the HACCP adoption process between individual firms.

Potential Implications of Animal Welfare Concerns and Public Policies in Industrialized Countries for International Trade

The intensification of systems of agricultural production has generated increasing concern in some countries about the treatment of farm animals. Perhaps nowhere are these concerns more apparent than in Europe. Wide-ranging legislation governing the treatment of farm animals exists in many European countries and at the multinational level through the European Union (EU). Private initiatives on the development of standards for the production and marketing of food products have emerged in some countries in response to public concerns over animal welfare. The EU accounts for roughly 50 percent of the trade in live animals, meat, and livestock products by the members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).1 Private and public actions relating to animal welfare have potentially broad-reaching implications for agricultural practices in the countries concerned, and beyond their borders through effects on international competition and trade.

Quality assurance management in small meat manufacturers

Abstract Twenty-four manufacturers of ready to eat meat products were provided with an EFSIS 1 hygiene audit. Subsequently, the technical or owner–manager of the company was interviewed. Analysis of the quality management systems operated and assessed was compared with the International Life Sciences Institute’s (ILSI) model for quality assurance management. Findings demonstrate that whilst there remain deficiencies in quality management systems in small businesses, particularly with respect to the lack of technical expertise, the efficacy of hands-on management should also be recognised. The research supports the view that ISO 2 and Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophies are instructive frameworks for the implementation of quality assurance management within the small food business sector.