How is food safety regulation implemented? The key role of meso-institutions assessed through a cross-country comparison

Claude Menard (), Gaetano Martino (), Gustavo Magalhães Oliveira (), Annie Royer (), Paula Sarita Bigio Schnaider () and Maria Sylvia Macchione Saes ()
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Claude Menard: (Université de Paris –Panthéon Sorbonne)
Gaetano Martino: University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno
Gustavo Magalhães Oliveira: University of Bonn, Institute for Food and Resource Economics
Annie Royer: Pavillon Paul-Comtois
Paula Sarita Bigio Schnaider: University of Sao Paulo, Avenida Professor Luciano Gualberto
Maria Sylvia Macchione Saes: University of Sao Paulo, Avenida Professor Luciano Gualberto

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2024, vol. 16, issue 4, No 14, 1045-1058

Abstract: Abstract This article is about the critical role played by intermediate institutions, coined “meso-institutions,” in the implementation of regulation. Building on recent theoretical contributions, it proposes a model that emphasizes the functions and tasks fulfilled by meso-institutions in bridging the gap between the macro-institutional layer at which general rules and norms are established and the micro-institutional layer within which transactions are organized. A comparative approach to the institutional settings designed to secure the safety of raw cow milk in Brazil, Canada and Italy substantiates the analysis. Beyond the variety of institutional “configurations” characterizing these cases, the investigation shows how crucial the implementation by meso-institutions is of otherwise similar norms and rules in determining their effectiveness. Meeting food safety regulations depends on the capacity of meso-institutions to fulfil specific functions, the accomplishment of which can be assessed only through related tasks. Lessons are drawn with respect to efficiency, the trade-off between centralized and decentralized solutions, the impact on the organization of supply chains, and the necessity for public policies to pay special attention to meso-institutions in the design and implementation of food safety regulation.

Keywords: Food safety; Dairy milk; Institutions; Regulation; Transaction; Governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s12571-024-01461-0

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