Beschreibung
This edited volume evaluates recent EU quality policy, focusing on the structure, governance, technical specifications and performances - economic, environmental and social - of Food Quality Schemes (FQS) in the European Union and South East Asia. Initiatives such as EU Regulation No. 1151/2012 are relatively novel policies that seek to improve and promote the operation of schemes to protect geographical indications (GIs) for agri-food products. The intended benefits of protecting GIs include generating a fair return for farmers and producers for the qualities of particular goods, and enabling consumers to make better-informed purchasing choices through effective labeling. In addition, policy makers are now considering FQS as a means of not only guaranteeing quality in food production, but also sustainability. Despite these potential benefits, the economic performance of the FQS (e.g. PDO, PGI, organic) and individual GIs has been variable. While some GIs support significant value-added production, with substantial benefits to producers, consumers and wider economies, many others have failed to become economically sustainable. In addition, the environmental and social performance of FQS remains largely unexamined, with the exception of the environmental performance of organic products which has been assessed in several instances through life cycle assessments. The editors examine these discrepancies and offer a nuanced evaluation of the effectiveness of such policies. Several unique features make this volume a key resource for those interested in FQS and in the sustainability of food products. The editors provide a concise description of the value chain, the governance and the technical specifications of 27 FQS in Europe and South East Asia. Chapters by authors from around the globe constitute a FQS directory from which researchers can select cases to further investigate. The editors also provide a sustainability assessment of each of these FQS, and support or question the view that FQS are moving from "quality" to "sustainability". Finally, the volume serves a repository of key data on these FQS. Readers have access to the raw data necessary to compute the indicators used in the sustainability assessment (eg. value added, number of jobs, quantity of fertilizers, etc), allowing them to conduct novel re-analysis. The book is designed for an interdisciplinary audience of academics, policy makers, and stakeholders. The compilation of FQS case studies makes it a useful reference for researchers and students of food policy, geography, food anthropology, local and rural development, local agri-food systems and agri-food chains. Stakeholders such as national and European regulators, entities responsible for FQS technical specifications, and embassy staff will also find the information relevant. Additionally, individuals helping to implement food quality schemes, including auditors, producers, and consumer associates, as well as stakeholders in the sustainability of food products, including farmers, farmer's associations, and environmental NGOs, will also find the information relevant and important for their work.
Autorenporträt
Filippo Arfini, Ph.D. is an agricultural economist whose research focuses on policy assessment by means of quantitative analysis, agri-food chain management for GI products, quality economics and rural development dynamics. He received his PhD from the University of Trento and is currently Full Professor at the University of Parma, Department of Economics and Management Science where he teaches topics related to "Agri-Food Economics" and "Economy of food Quality scheme". He is ply the role of Deputy in the Strenght2Food Project. Valentin Bellassen is a junior scientist at the INRA (CESAER), since 2014. He graduated from Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris), received his PhD at Paris 6 university and worked at Princeton University (USA), Environmental Defense Fund (USA) and CDC Climat Research (France). His research focuses on environmental economics and agro-ecology. His area of expertise mostly revolves around the economics of climate change mitigation, applied to a variety of domains including agriculture, forestry, food systems and carbon offsetting.
