Changing public and private food safety and quality requirements in Europe : challenges of fresh produce and fish exporters in developing countries - European Union Buyers Survey

The World Bank has initiated surveys on Cost of Compliance for Standards on Trade to identify barriers, particularly those related to food safety aspects that developing countries face when exporting fresh perishable agricultural and fisheries products to the OECD countries. Nine surveys in the series focus on producers and exporters in developing countries, and three focus on buyers in importing countries. This survey focuses on the views of European buyers. European buyers of selected fruits and vegetables (mango, pineapple, avocado, green bean, and tomato), and buyers of selected fish and fish products (tilapia, Nile Perch and shrimp) follow different strategies on sourcing these goods in developing countries. This study looks at the cost of compliance with food safety standards within this context. Chapters discuss: driving forces, trends, and European Union market players; supply chains for fish and for fruits and vegetables; public and private food safety regulations, legislation, standards, and inspection; problems, buyers' priorities, and changing suppliers; different types of costs and benefits and differences in the costs of compliance; remedial actions, and future developments, and role of donors. Appendix 1 cites the notifications on shrimp and fish products from third countries.