Food safety regulation and trade in food products

Nations are becoming increasingly dependent upon internationally traded foo d products, often at the expense of traditional agricultural commodities. A s the focus shifts to high value-added imports and exports, regulations tar geting the food safety attributes of these products are increasingly cited as a source of potential non-tariff barriers to trade. To counter such conc erns, various bilateral and multilateral efforts to demonstrate the integri ty of the regulatory systems under which these foods are produced are takin g centre stage. Little analysis of the relative efficacy of such rapprochem ent efforts exists. This paper therefore discusses the impacts food safety regulation can have on the growth in food trade by presenting a review of k ey regulatory rapprochement efforts targeting them. The GATT SPS Agreement in particular is discussed, Recent disputes centring on the impacts of food safety regulations are also reviewed to suggest how GATT commitments are b eing interpreted and enforced. This discussion highlights potential road-bl ocs to additional trade facilitation and evaluates if a 'hard law' system n ow exists. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.