Recently enacted food safety regulations require processors to meet product standards for microbial contamination in meat products. An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of several technological interventions for microbial control in beef and pork processing shows that marginal improvements in...

Current policies designed to improve food safety rely on regulation and market incentives. However, the mix of both private and public incentives to improve food safety and the dynamics of industry response to regulation make analysis of the costs of food safety complex. The paper provides an...

To help pork processing firms evaluate the costs of pathogen-reducing interventions, Jensen and Unnevehr explore the various trade-offs associated with multiple pathogen reduction targets. They find that the costs of individual pathogen reduction technologies range from $0.03 to $0.20 per...

Science is identifying new food-borne pathogens and understanding their potential for serious consequences. Meanwhile, demand for safer food is growing, as consumers become more affluent, live longer, and better understand the links between diet and health. Additionally, trade in food products...

Many deficiencies in the capacity of a food system to deliver safe products are systemic in nature. We suggest a taxonomy of four general ways in which a systemic failure might occur. One relates to the connectedness, or topology, of the system. Another arises from mistrust on the part of...