Edit Form · 00002 »

European Commission (2007) FOOD QUALITY CERTIFICATION: ADDING VALUE TO FARM PRODUCE. Conference BRUSSELS, 6 FEBRUARY 2006

Report,
EU Commission, Brussels

Document:

Abstract
In order to better understand the potential for certification in the EU, the Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development has organised a conference on food quality certification schemes in Brussels on 5 and 6 February 2007.
Following on from the 2-year “Food Quality Schemes” pilot project, undertaken by the Commission’s research arm, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the conference marked a step-change from data and opinion gathering to consideration of policy options. The conference examined how food quality schemes work, the economics of schemes, their operation in the internal market, and implications for global trade.
The conference conclusions set out key areas for potential benefits and conference for food quality certification:
Benefits include:

• inform consumers effectively about food quality, origin, environmental care and animal welfare;
• increase efficiency of the farm operation;
• have positive impacts on rural development (tourism, infrastructure, etc.), on maintaining local culture and traditions and on enhancing social cohesion in rural areas based on initial research;
• reduce costs within the supply chain through vertical integration;
• add value for producers, although this effect varies from scheme to scheme;
• lead to price increases in all parts of the chain, but not in all cases enough to cover additional costs.
• To be most successful when adequate marketing management capabilities are present.

Concerns about schemes include

• heavy and duplicative administrative costs and burdens;
• competition issues and potential barriers to the functioning of the single market;
• difficulties for exporters from developing countries (especially small-scale producers in the Least Developed Countries); and
• stakeholder concerns about transparency of schemes.

Keywords: Food certification, EU quality labels

Relevance to our study:
Both the conference and the conclusion are highly relevant as a more general conceptualisation of food quality certification. However, the document has now been superseeded by the impact report and communication of the Commision regarding future policy in relation to food quality.

Relevancy on a scale from 1 to 5 = 3

Review status: Completed

Review started on 2008–12–11
Reviewed by Susanne

Comments:
I will therefore not include more detail from it at the moment, but may return to it when writing he report.