Harmonization of technical standards is often advocated as a means to remove technical barriers that reduce the welfare gains available from international trade. Organic standards are not currently harmonized internationally. If domestic organic standards reflect consumer tastes, and consumers...

While almost all of the investment in agricultural biotechnology to date has been in temperate crops suitable for developed countries, developing countries are the greatest potential beneficiaries of this major technological advance. To realise this potential requires investment in crops...

The FSMA appears to be a major undertaking with a very large responsibility placed on the FDA. It would seem that bottlenecks to exporting are bound to appear which will be very frustrating for Canadian firms. It is important for Canadian firms and Canadian policy makers to work hard to ensure...

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) which was signed into law in January, 2011 represents a major initiative to improve food safety in the US. The legislation mandates the US Food and Drug Administration with developing a regulatory system to implement the Act. As yet, the full effect of...

Transaction cost economics recognizes that transactions do not occur in a frictionless economic environment. Information, negotiation, and monitoring costs arise in any transaction and can influence the vertical coordination outcome. This paper demonstrates a method for measuring the influence...

Food markets are increasingly characterized by an array of quality assurances with respect to credence attributes, many of which relate to agricultural production methods. A variety of organizations are associated with these quality assurance claims, including private, third party and public...