My work focuses on understanding the operation of domestic and international food systems, analyzing how well they work, and evaluating how government policy affects their operation and performance. My particular interest is in the economics of food quality, especially the quality attributes of safety and nutrition. How are markets for food safety and nutrition developing given increased consumer demand for safer, more nutritious products; manufacturers and retailers' efforts to meet this demand; and increased regulatory activity by national governments to assure food quality? I am also interested in the economics of certification, traceability, and labeling for quality attributes. Examples of my work include how to prioritize the importance of different foodborne risks, whether regulatory programs such as Hazard Analysis at Critical Control Points (HACCP) will enhance food safety at a reasonable cost, how benefit and risk information can be balanced and effectively communicated to consumers, and how international trade agreements influence food quality.
Articles
Economics of Traceability in Multi-Ingredient Food Chains, Agribusiness (2010)
The consumption of multi-ingredient foods is increasing across the globe. Traceability can be used as...
Standards-as-Barriers versus Standards-as-Catalysts:Assessing the Impact of HACCP Implementation on U.S. Seafood Imports, American Journal of Agricultural Economics (2009)
The United States mandated a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety standard for...
The Benefits and Costs of Proliferation of Geographical Labeling for Developing Countries, The Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy (2009)
Food product attributes related to geographical origins are a topical issue in global food trade....
Traceability Adoption at the Farm Level: An Empirical Analysis of the Portuguese Pear Industry, Food Policy (2009)
Traceability is becoming a condition to operate in European food markets. Retailers impose more stringent...
Consumer Demand for Quality: Major Determinant for Agricultural and Food Trade in the Future?, Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development (2008)
The impact of consumer demand for quality on the agricultural and food system is an...
Contributions to Books
Role of Programs Designed to Improve the Microbiological Safety of Imported Food, Imported Foods: Microbiological Issues and Challenges (2008)
The Interaction of Public and Private Incentives in Promoting Food Safety Innovation in the U.S. Meat Industry, Handbook of Innovation in the Food and Drink Industry (2008)
Ethics, Globalization, and Hunger: Food Safety Standards in Rich and Poor Countries, Ethics, Globalization, and Hunger: In Search of Appropriate Policies (2007)
A NAFTA Approach to Animal Health and Biosecurity: Pipe Dream or Possibility?, Agrifood Regulatory and Policy Integration Under Stress (2006)
Unpublished Papers
Expanding the Focus of Cost-Benefit Analysis for Food Safety: A Multi-Factorial Risk Prioritization Approach, Working Paper 2008-8. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2008)
A pressing need in the area of food safety is a tool for making overall,...
The Benefits and Costs of Proliferation of Geographical Labeling for Developing Countries, Working Paper 2008-7. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2008)
Food product attributes related to geographical origins are a topical issue in global food trade....
A Multi-Factorial Risk Prioritization Framework for Food-Borne Pathogens, Working Paper 2007-8. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2007)
To lower the incidence of human food-borne disease, experts and stakeholders have urged the development...
Consumer Demand for Quality: Major Determinant for Agricultural and Food Trade in the Future?, Working Paper 2007-4. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2007)
The impact of consumer demand for quality on the agricultural and food system is an...
Seafood Label Effectiveness in the Amherst Market: A Study of the Quality and Quantity of Point of Purchase Information, Working Paper 2007-5. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2007)
Presentations
A Multi-Factorial Risk Prioritization Framework for Food-borne Pathogens, The Society for Risk Analysis (2008)
Optimal Choice of Voluntary Traceability as a Food Risk Management Tool (with DM Souza Monteiro,), The XIIth European Association of Agricultural Economists Congress (2008)
Traceability systems are information tools implemented within and between firms in food chains to improve...
From Punishment to Prevention: The Introduction of Co-regulation, The American Agricultural Economics Association (2008)