Enforcing standards may not be feasible without improvements in identifying food safety hazards and providing incentives for improved management (or penalties for lack of compliance) (Hennessy etal.,2001).
Given the nature of many hazards,which may originate at the farm level or first handler,and may multiply or spread as products are mingled and moved downstream towards the consumer,improved supply chain coordination is also frequently required.
That is,it will be necessary for buyers or regulators to verify that risk reduction practices are followed through out the supply chain.
Such verification may require new market institutions such as cost-sharing between buyers and producers, third-party auditing and certification, and improved testing for hazards and diversion of hazardous products to lower risk uses.
These kinds of market changes support a risk-based, farm to table approach,which is discussed next.