Proceedings of Workshop on Benefit-cost Analysis of Traceability in the Agri-food Chain

Abstract

Traceability (TT) is one of the main risk management and quality assurance tools identified in EU food and feed legislation. Moreover, beyond the main purpose of ensuring targeted, rapid and accurate recalls, there are possibly greater benefits to industry and the consumer, if investment is made in an appropriate system to broadly implement it.Plainly, traceability implementation has costs in terms of human resources and financial investments required, especially for processed products in the global market.The workshop aimed at identifying, describe and discuss the most appropriate methods of economic benefit and cost analyses relevant to a variety of food and feed (including SMEs such as farms) TT system implementation scenarios. The discussion was structured in a way to move from general theoretical information to case studies. The objective was to make progress in quantitative analysis to try to enforce TT at farm level. Innovation, like TT system adoption, can be regulation driven or market driven. Food safety regulations could provide for minimum TT standards, while market (taking into account relevant consumers WTA more than consumers WTP) can push for an adequate level of enforcement when TT is functional to other attributes, like quality and efficiency and clear monetary benefits can be identified and quantified. Non monetary benefit, as safety, could also justify financial incentives by society. A widespread adoption of sufficiently advanced TT system requires thereby public financial support.