Abstract
Foodborne illness cause significant costs to societies. This chapter discusses food safety and traceability policies and their impacts in food markets. Since 1906, the USA has been in the forefront of food safety policies. Food safety is broadly defined as the probability that a food causes no harm to consumers. One of the key factors in mitigating foodborne illness outbreaks is the ability to quickly detect the cause, origin, and spread of the incident. This is where traceability and food safety are linked, as the former is defined as the ability to follow a path of a food through a food chain, from farm gate to the consumer’s plate and in the reverse direction. In the United States, both the FDA and the USDA/FSIS have mandates to manage food safety policies. However, several other Federal and State agencies are commissioned to assure a safe food supply. Food safety policies are increasingly imposing science- and risk-based standards, some of which (such as GlobalGAP) have been led by the private sector. Increasingly global and highly connected food chains present new food safety and traceability challenges. The recently enacted Food Safety Modernization Act mandates the FDA to issue science-based food safety standards and introduces a requirement for mandatory traceability. Food safety and traceability policies are costly and choices over alternative options need to take into account their impact on a food market’s technical, allocative and dynamic efficiencies, as well as nonmarket impacts.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
CDC identified six key pathogens responsible for the majority of foodborne diseases outbreaks. These are Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia and Vibrio.
- 2.
A good history of US food safety regulation over the past 100 years can be found in Merrill (2005).
- 3.
For a deeper treatment and further information of marketing agreements and Federal and State marketing orders see Chap. 6.
- 4.
Pritchard and Burch (2003) further develop the globalization of processed tomato supply chains as an example of the impact of globalization on food industries.
- 5.
The reflections of this group were published by Hoffman and Taylor Eds. (2005).
- 6.
- 7.
This is particularly true in the case of information at the farm level, as the FD&C Act, Bioterrorism Act and FSMA all exempt farmers from needing to keep records.
- 8.
According to both FDA’s science board (2007) and the GAO (2009), there are actually critical deficiencies in FDA’s information systems and the quality and consistency of data collection.
- 9.
An example of how these could work is to mimic the stakeholder advisory committees and openness policies adopted by the UK Food Standards Agency (2010).
- 10.
Section 104 of the FMSA describes a performance food safety standard.
References
Antle J M (2001) Economic Analysis of Food Safety. In: Gardner B, Rausser G (eds) Chapter 19, Handbook of Agricultural Economics, Volume 1. Elsevier-Science. Amsterdam
Asfaw S, Mithofer D, Waibel H (2009) EU food safety standards, pesticide use and farm-level productivity: the case of high-value crops in Kenya. Food Policy 60(3): 645-667
Bauman, H. E. (1990) HACCP: Concept, Development and Application. Food Technology, May: 156-158
Berdegué J A, Balsevich F, Flores L, Reardon T (2005) Central American supermarkets’ private standards of quality and safety in procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables. Food Policy 30: 254-269
[CDC] U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011) Trends in Foodborne Illness, 1996-2010. http://www.cdc.gov/WinnableBattles/FoodSafety/pdf/Trends_in_Foodborne_Illness.pdf. Accessed 23 January 2012
[CDFA] California Department of Food and Agriculture (2008) California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/mkt/mkt/pdf/CA%20%Leafy%20Green%20Products%20Handler%20Agreement.pdf. Accessed 21 March 2011
[CFIA] Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2010) Science and regulation… working together for Canadians. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/agen/broch/broche.shtml Accessed 7 December 2011
Cuite CL, Schefske SD, Randolph EM, Hooker NH, Nucci ML Hallman WK (2009) Public Response to the Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak of 2008. Food Policy Institute Publication RR-1208-017. January. http://fpi.rutgers.edu/pubs.asp?id=199 Accessed 23 January 2012
[DHHS] US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) Who’s at risk. http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/risk/index.html. Accessed 23 January 2012
Disney W T, Green J W, Forsythe K W, Wiemers J F, and Weber S (2001) Benefit-Cost Analysis of Animal Identification for Disease Prevention and Control. Rev. Sci. et Techique de l’Office Internacional des Epizooties 20(2): 385-405
[FAO] Food and Agriculture Organization (2006) Food Safety Risk Analysis: A guide for National Food Safety Authorities. FAO Food and Nutrition paper 87. Rome
[FAO/WHO] Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (2002) New Zealand’s approach to food safety management: Conference Room Document Submitted by New Zealand Country Report. FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety RegulatorsMarrakesh, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002. http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/004/x6928e.htm Accessed 23 January 2012
[FDA] U.S. Food and Drug Administration (1995) Procedures for the Safe and Sanitary Processing and Importing of Fish and Fishery Products; Final Rule. Federal Register, 60(242): 65096-65202
[FDA] U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (2002) Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (PL107-188), Letter from Center Director. http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodDefense/Bioterrorism/ucm111086.htm Accessed 23 January 2012
[FDA] U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (2004) Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs during production; Proposed rule. Vol. 69. No. 183: 56824-56906. Fed. Regist. Washington, DC
[FDA] U.S. Food and Drugs Administration Science Board (2006) Compliance Policy Guide - Registration of Food Facilities Under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodDefenseandEmergencyResponse/ucm121288.htm Accessed 23 January 2012
[FDA] Food and Drug Administration Science Board (2007) FDA Science and Mission at Risk Report of the Subcommittee on Science and Technology. FDA, Rockville, MD
[FDA] U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (2011a) 111th Congress Public Law 353. An Act to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply. Jan. 4 - H.R. 2751
[FDA] U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (2011b) FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Frequently Asked Questions. www.fda.gov/fsma. Accessed 23 January 2012
[FSIS] Food Safety Inspection Service (1996) Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems; Final Rule. Federal Register, 64(144): 38805-38989
Fulponi, L (2006) Private voluntary standards in the food system: The perspective of major food retailers in OECD countries. Food Policy. 31: 1-13
[GAO] U.S. Government Accountability Office (2004) Federal Food Safety and Security System: Fundamental Restructuring is Needed to Address Fragmentation and Overlap. Washington, DC: GAO
[GAO] U.S. Government Accountability Office (2009) Information Technology: FDA needs to Establish Key Plans and Processes for Guiding systems Modernization Efforts. Washington, DC: GAO
[GAO] U.S. Government Accountability Office (2011) Federal Food Safety Oversight: Food Safety Working Group Is a Positive First Step but Government wide Planning Is Needed to Address Fragmentation. A report to Congressional Committees GAO-11-289. Washington, DC: GAO. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-289 Accessed 23 January 2012
GlobalGAP (2010). Facts and Figures. www.globalgap.org Accessed 23 January 2012
GlobalGAP (2011) About us. http://www.globalgap.org/cms/front_content.php?idcat=2 Accessed 23 January 2012
[GFSI] Global Food Safety Initiative (2011a) About. http://mygfsi.com/about-gfsi/about-gfsi-main.html Accessed 23 January 2012
[GFSI] Global Food Safety Initiative (2011b) GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition. http://www.mygfsi.com/information-resources/gfsiguidancedocumentsixthedition.html Accessed 23 January 2012
[GFSI] Global Food Safety Initiative (2011c) GFSI recognize scheme owners. http://www.mygfsi.com/contact-us/scheme-owners.html Accessed 23 January 2012.
Golan E, Krissoff B, Kuchler F, Nelson K, Price G, Calvin L (2004) Traceability in the US Food Supply: Economic Theory and Industry Studies. US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, DC, Agricultural Economic Report No. 830, March.
Hernández R, Reardon T, Berdegué J (2007) Supermarkets, wholesalers, and tomato growers in Guatemala. Agricultural Economics 36: 281-290
Hallman WK, Cuite CL, Hooker NH (2009) Consumer Responses to Food Recalls: 2008 National Survey Report. Food Policy Institute Report RR-0109-018. April. http://www.foodpolicyinstitute.org/docs/news/RR-0109-018.pdf Accessed 23 January 2012
Hoffmann SA, Taylor MR (eds) (2005) Toward Safer Food: Perspectives on Risk and Priority Setting. Resources for the Future Press. Washington, D.C.
Hooker NH, Nayga Jr. RM, Siebert JW (2002) On the Impact of HACCP on Costs and Product Exit. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 34(1): 165–174
Hooker NH (2002) The impact of HACCP on costs and product exit. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 34(1): 165
[IOM] Institute of Medicine (2010) Wallace RB, Oria M (eds): Enhancing Food Safety: The Role of the Food and Drug Administration. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC.
Kamotani S, Hooker NH, Smith S, Lee K (2010) Consumer Acceptance of Ozone Processed Whole Shell Eggs. Journal of Food Science. 75(2): 103-107
Karaca U, Alexander C and Maier DE (2007) Does On-Farm Quality Assurance Pay? A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Grainsafe Program. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, vol. 39, issue 03
Laconto A and Busch L (2010) Standards, Techno-economic networks and playing fields: Performing the global market economy. Review of International Political Economy 17(3): 507-536
[LGMA] California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (2010). Fact Sheet. http://www.caleafygreens.ca.gov/about-us/faqs Accessed 23 January 2012
Merrill, R A (2005) The Centennial of U.S. Food Safety Law. In Sandra A. Hoffmann and Michael R. Taylor Eds.: Toward Safer Food: Perspectives on Risk and Priority Setting. Resources for the Future Press. Washington, DC
Muth M K, Karns S A, Wohlgenant M K, Anderson (2002) Exit of meat slaughter plants during implementation of the PR/HACCP regulations. J. of Agr. and Resource Econ. 27(1): 187-203
Muth MK, Karns SA, Wohlgenant MK, Anderson (2003) Explaining plant exit in the U.S. meat and poultry industries. J. Agr. And Food Indus. Organ. 1(January). http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jafio.2002.1.1/jafio.2002.1.1.1022/jafio.2002.1.1.1022.xml?format=INT. Assessed 27 January 2012
Muth M K, Karns, S A, Wohlgenant M K (2007) Did the pathogen reduction and hazard analysis and critical control points regulation cause slaughter plants to exit? R. Agr. Econ. 29(3):596-611
President’s Council on Food Safety (1999) Egg Safety from Production to Consumption: An Action Plan to Reduce Salmonella enteritidis Illnessses Due to Eggs (http://www.foodsafety.gov/%7Efsg/ceggs/html%20)
Pritchard B and Burch D (2003) Agri-food Globalization in Perspective: International Restructuring in the Tomato Processing Industry. Ashgate Publishing Company, Burlington, VT
Ribera L A and Knutson R D (2011) The FDA’s Food Safety and Modernization Act and its Economic Implications. Choices, 26(4)
Ross-Nazzal J (2007) From farm to fork: How space food standards impacted the food industry and changed food safety standards. In:. Dick S J, Launius RD (eds) Societal Impact of Spaceflight, 219-236. Washington, DC: NASA
Souza Monteiro D M and Caswell J A (2004) The Economics of Implementing Traceability in Beef Supply Chains: Trends in Major Producing and Trading Countries. WP-06, Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, June 2004. http://www.umass.edu/resec/workingpapers/resecworkingpaper2004-6.pdf. Accessed 23 January 2012
Souza Monteiro D M and Caswell J A (2010) The Economics of Voluntary Traceability in Multi-Ingredient Food Chains. Agribusiness, 26: 122–142
Schmidt C W (2001) Serving Up Food Safety: Who Wants a Piece of the Pie? Environmental and Health Perspectives July; 109(7): A324–A327
[USDA-AMS] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (2008) Regulations governing the voluntary grading of shell eggs. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004690. Accessed 23 January 2012
[USDA-FSIS] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service/FDA (2005) Risk assessments of Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs and Salmonella spp. in egg products. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/SE_Risk_Assess_Oct2005.pdf Accessed 23 January 2012
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Souza-Monteiro, D.M., Hooker, N.H. (2013). Food Safety and Traceability. In: Armbruster, W., Knutson, R. (eds) US Programs Affecting Food and Agricultural Marketing. Natural Resource Management and Policy, vol 38. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4930-0_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4930-0_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4929-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4930-0
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsEconomics and Finance (R0)