STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTION OF EU FOOD SAFETY GOVERNANCE: THE CASE OF EU FRUIT AND VEGETABLE IMPORTS FROM SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES

Luca Camanzi,Abdelhakim Hammoudi,Giulio Malorgio

doi:10.30682/nm1904b

Abstract

Abstract Despite the advantages ensuing from preferential market access agreements, trade exchanges between Southern Mediterranean Countries (SMCs) and the EU are often hindered by food safety issues. These are particularly relevant for fruit and vegetables, which are subject to heterogeneous regulations in SMCs. This paper seeks to outline governance solutions to improve ex-ante compliance capacity of SMCs production and to enhance integration with the EU market. A set of research hypotheses, concerning the difficulties and benefits related with food safety compliance, are formulated. These hypotheses are then discussed in the light of the empirical evidence gathered from (i) public bodies involved in food safety enforcement and (ii) a direct survey conducted on 37 stakeholders in the fruit and vegetable supply chain in Italy. The main problems identified relate to the scarce harmonization among control systems in EU Member States and insufficient checks in exporting countries. The main benefits include the reduction of sanitary risk and the reinforcement of long-term trust-based relations along the supply chain. The most promising strategies encompass the improvement of inspections on production sites and of infrastructures in the countries of origin. Further areas of intervention concern the harmonization of food safety regulation between EU countries and SMCs and the development of bilateral cooperation and technical training programs.

Highlights

Compliance with mandatory Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards and food safety requirements are crucial issues for international trade (Otsuki et al, 2001; Wilson, 2000)
We provided an assessment of the food safety regulation and its implementation system, both at the EU level and at Member State level, with specific reference to Italy
In case of non-compliance with labeling information, products can be downgraded to a lower quality category or, in case the product does not fit into any lower quality category, they will be either returned to the country of origin, sent to a third country, or destroyed

Summary

Introduction

Compliance with mandatory Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards and food safety requirements are crucial issues for international trade (Otsuki et al, 2001; Wilson, 2000). A further controversial issue concerns the implementation of food standards and control systems by each Member State (Whitakert et al, 1995; Willems et al, 2005), that, along with the complexity of administrative import procedures, may favor opportunistic behavior to the detriment of both consumer health and supply chain transactions efficiency (Grazia et al, 2015). EU food safety legislation most often regulates “results” (e.g. maximum admitted levels of contaminants) without specifying what means/ inputs should be used to achieve these results

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