Abstract
Private food quality and safety standards are emerging as language of the food industry. The Brazilian market is experiencing the decline of the CEASAs, or Wholesale Produce Markets, and the expansion of supermarkets, including in the distribution of fresh produce. This growth is interpreted by the New Institutional Economy as the efficiency of private quality systems as compared to the purportedly inefficient public systems. Based on the political and cultural approach of the New Economic Sociology (NES), the article challenges the evidential nature of the institutions' efficiency, as well as the definition of quality and safety as neutral concepts. Based on the NES approach, these concepts can be seen as cultural constructs.
Highlights
Les systèmes de qualité et de sécurité privés sont la référence officielle du marché alimentaire et imposent des règles et des modèles qui autorisent la circulation des aliments tout au long de la chaîne de production et distribution
The Brazilian market is experiencing the decline of the CEASAs
This growth is interpreted by the New Institutional Economy as the efficiency
Summary
E studiosos das ciências sociais abordam o tema dos mercados como uma construção político-cultural (Fligstein, 2001a, 2001b; Fligstein e Mara-Drita, 1996; Bourdieu, 2005), em particular o tema dos mercados alimentares (Steiner, 2006; Garcia-Parpet, 2003). Esses padrões para produtos alimentares surgem como tema central na agenda internacional por dois motivos: 1) o fato de produtos frescos (laticínios e FLVs) aparecerem como alternativa de renda para pequenos produtores graças ao valor agregado superior e à relativa ausência de economias de escala no setor (Reardon e Berdegué, 2002:371); 2) o setor de alimentos processados emerge como uma nova fonte potencial de exportação para países em desenvolvimento, como o Brasil. No contexto da construção dos padrões de qualidade e segurança do mercado alimentar, mostramos como a perspectiva da NSE – enfatizando instituições sociais e relações entre elites e Estados – pode contribuir para o entendimento dos arranjos atuais.
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