The role of large supermarket chains in food safety regulation

What is it about?

This chapter discusses the increased role of retailers in global food safety regulation and its consequences for food producers. The first section deals with the development of retail-driven private food safety regulation from the 1990s onwards. The dominant transnational retail-driven standards are introduced with particular attention to the dissemination outside Europe and the power of retailers in the governance structure of the standards. The next section discusses the reasons for retailers to engage in food safety standards. Subsequently, section 3 deals with the reasons for food producers to comply with food safety standards.

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Why is it important?

It is important to understand the dominant role of large supermarket chains in the development and proliferation of private food safety certification programs because these certificates are in fact a prerequisite to sell food product in particular markets.