Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
conventions. But lead firms are by no means in full control of green
conventions.
15
These conventions relate to much broader and fun-
damental sociostructural developments and domains, shaped at least
partly independently of the wishes - and beyond the control - of lead
firms.
It is especially for reasons of quality, safety and environment that
commodity chains and networks have been pressed - by actors and
institutions inside and outside these chains and networks - to in-
crease traceability, transparency and trust.
16
This development relates
strongly to what could be labelled private informational governance.
In addition to the conventional flow of materials, products and goods
downward in the chain, and the reverse flow of money upwards,
the - third - flow of information has particularly increased follow-
ing questions and public debates on quality, safety and environmental
consequences of products and production methods. Especially in the
agro-food sector with its natural basis, often open primary production
systems, and transnational food safety crises, but also in other com-
modity chains such as that of health care (cf. Nouwt, 2004), informa-
tion requirements have skyrocketed. This has resulted in the develop-
ment of advanced systems of tracking and tracing,
17
strongly enhanced
by governmental policies and legislation, such as the European Union's
15
This is further elaborated in the 'economy of quality' (cf. Callon et al.,
2002
).
16
Often a distinction is made between public market transparency and private
market transparency. Public market transparency relates to consumers,
whereas private market transparency is related to organisations in the
commodity chain/network and is believed to have adverse effects on
competition (Nouwt et al.,
2004
).
17
Tracking refers to following products flowing through the chain/network.
Tracing refers to finding out ex post how a product moved through the
chain/network, from its constituent parts to the final end product. The
European General Food Law uses a far-reaching definition of traceability
(Art. 3): “the ability to trace and follow a food, feed, food-producing animal or
substance intended to be, or expected to be incorporated into an food or feed,
through all stages of production, processing and distribution.” A comparative
study across seven countries (Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain,
Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States) in four supply sectors
(meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables, and grain/bread) illustrated the poor
spreading of traceability systems in the early 2000s (Vorst et al.,
2003
). This
corresponded with investigations by the Food and Veterinary Office of the
DG Health and Consumer Protection of the European Commission.
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