Supermarkets taking the role of regulating food safety

What is it about?

Food safety is a highly debated issue. Food industry organizations, retailers and national and transnational governments have been trying to find new ways to regulate food safety. Can private regulation of food safety meet the high expectations? A review of existing literature shows some conditions to be important for effectively protecting public interests by private regulation. In particular, retailers worldwide are actively engaged in setting food safety standards for their suppliers. A case study of food safety regulation by Dutch retailers shows that they can force food industry organizations and producers to accept food safety standards because of their economic (market) power.

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Why is it important?

In food safety regulation, public and private interests do overlap. Supermarkets, as well as governments, aim at food safety through transparency in food chains and food safety systems in food-producing firms. Food safety is regarded as a high priority issue by all parties concerned. All actors in the chain from farm to fork should try their best to manage the risks of unsafe food. The interest of retailers in safeguarding food safety is strongly related to their legal obligations, and to financial and reputational risks in case of food incidents. Short-term economic interests may overrule food safety requirements for the very reason that the food industry and retailers are primarily focused on sales and profit. Most parties involved agree that food safety should not be left to private firms only.