Resolving Trade Disputes Arising from Trends in Food Safety Regulation

These regulatory trends have several implications for how food safety standards affect international trade in food products. Some new regulatory developments are likely to mitigate potential barriers to trade. For example, new kinds of regulation or public intervention that focus on voluntary provision of information (e.g., certification for certain kinds of production practices) can facilitate trade, even when standards and requirements differ among countries. Other trends, though, may impede trade. For example, if new or more stringent standards are in the form of process standards, (e.g., under HACCP systems), it can be difficult to determine if imported products are as safe as those produced domestically. Whether certain kinds of process requirements are necessary to achieve an equivalent risk outcome can be subject to dispute.