Transnational Business Governance Interactions in Food Safety Regulation: Exploring the Promises and Risks of Enrolment

Abstract

Transnational private regulation has been woven into the fabric of modern food safety governance. In this paper we explore the question of how domestic state actors respond to this development. We address this question in a detailed case study on the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and domestic food safety authorities in Canada, China, the Netherlands and the US. Why and to what extent do these domestic actors engage with GFSI in their regulatory activities, and what are the effects? To develop a better understanding of the how and why of this interaction, the paper builds on the concept of ‘regulatory enrolment’ developed by Black (2003). As will be argued, enrolment offers a proper analytical lens through which the nature of interplay between various actors in a regulatory regime can be better appreciated and the capacity of that regime as a whole can be enhanced in smart and innovative ways.