An economic Study on Distribution Networks and Traceability Systems for Imported Fruits and Vegetables

随着人们对食品安全的担忧日益加剧和消费者信心下降，可追溯性在关注农产品分销网络的研究界引起了越来越多的关注。我们研究的分销网络和进口水果和蔬菜的可追溯性系统，从中国进口蔬菜的案例研究的基础上。自2002年在市售蔬菜中发现大量农用化学品以来，中国蔬菜出口法规发生了重大变化。根据新的规定，只有出口或加工企业自己的农场或承包农场生产的蔬菜才能出口。在生产过程管理、化学品使用和产出质量方面也有额外的要求。根据新的规定，出口蔬菜的分销网络更加精简，但由于管理系统的成本较高，也比以前更昂贵。在新的制度下，中国出口的蔬菜越来越突出，因为它们更加注重食品安全和消费者信心。针对分销系统的变革，出现了一些出口和加工公司，它们采用了可追踪系统，并公开了生产历史信息。虽然中国生产商和出口商对食品安全和消费者信心的重视在市场上得到了越来越多的认可，但与日本产品相比，中国出口产品的分销渠道仍有许多不足之处，因此需要加强各参与者之间的协调。此外，在使用进口水果和蔬菜可追溯系统时，不能排除潜在的道德风险问题。

Traceability has drawn increasing attention, amid rising concerns about food safety and declining consumer confidence, within the research community focusing on the distribution networks for agricultural products. We examine the distribution networks and traceability systems for imported fruits and vegetables, based on a case study of imported vegetables from China. Following the incidence where a significant amount of agricultural chemicals was discovered in marketed vegetables in 2002,the regulations governing vegetable exports from China underwent major transformations. Under the new regulations, only the vegetables produced either on the exporting or processing firms own farms or on their contracted farms can be exported. There are also additional requirements for the management of production processes, chemical use and output quality. The distribution networks for exported vegetables under the new regulations are more streamlined but are also more expensive than they were before because of the higher costs of managing the system. Under the new regime, the vegetables exported from China have increasingly been distinguished for their greater attention to food safety and consumer confidence. In response to the transformations in distribution systems, there have emerged exporting and processing firms who have introduced traceability systems and have made publicly available the information on production history. While the greater attention paid by Chinese producers and exporters to food safety and consumer confidence has been increasingly recognized in the market, there is a need for greater coordination among various actors involved in the distribution channels of Chinese exports, which still have much to be desired compared to Japanese produce. In addition, a potential for moral hazard problems cannot be ruled out in the use of traceability systems for imported fruits and vegetables.