International food safety regulations in the United States and the European union-balancing consumer confidence and trade: Discussion

Alex winter-Nelson focuses on the global food safety regulations in the US and the European Union and how they balance consumer confidence and trade. Fish, vegetables, and fruits present particular food safety concerns and are also products for which imports into the US and European Union have grown rapidly. International trade in high-value food products cannot grow unless consumers have confidence in the institutions that insure food safety. A direct way to build confidence in the food system is to ensure that imported foods are safe. Since different regulations are addressing different sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) risks, it remains unclear whether it is differences in regulations or differences in the SPS challenges that cause the differential impacts on trade. This point is reinforced by the finding in the article that the trade impacts vary with the SPS goal of the regulations.