Epsilon Open Archive

Abstract

With the increasing attention paid to the specification of food quality standards, food safety and quality are increasingly becoming major concerns for most countries. In the EU especially, public and private sectors respond to this by imposing tighter food safety requirements. The international fresh produce market has therefore become more competitive and sophisticated. JAFFEE AND HENSON (2005) point out that quality and safety have become the dominant modes of competition in the global market for high-value agri-food commodities. On top of the tariff-based trade barriers still in force, this presents additional challenges for developing countries and raises concerns about their ability to cope with these emerging qualitative export requirements.