Overview of Food Safety Economics

Abstract

The goal of this book is to introduce food scientists, policy analysts, academics, industry, and nongovernmental organization and consumer group managers to the principles and main applications of food safety economics. We focus on the economics of information, supply chain coordination, estimates of the burden of foodborne illness, and food safety policy. This chapter gives an overview of each section of the book and chapters therein. The first section of the book presents the main frameworks economists use to examine food safety private and public policy issues. The second part of the book discusses how economists measure and estimate the costs and burdens of food safety hazards. Then eight case studies, covering a range of applied food safety economics topics, comprise the third section. Some of the topics covered are economic incentives, food safety innovation, product testing, food hazards surveillance, antibiotic resistence to foodborne pathogens, political advocacy, public policy, and legal liability aspects of food safety. The last chapter of the book concludes and suggests future food safety policy and research challenges given the increasing global reach and complexity of food supply networks.