La diffusione degli standard volontari di qualità nel settore agroalimentare: analisi delle motivazioni che influenzano le scelte degli stakeholder
Author(s)
Brazzini, Alessandro
Date Issued
June 24, 2015
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
Voluntary standards have gained in importance all over the world. The choice of voluntary standards setting-up and their consequent diffusion depended on the private stakeholders’ need to give trust and security to consumers and agro-food actors, in particular as a consequence of the negative effects linked to the several food scares and the public incapacity to promptly and efficiently react to agro-food changes.
From latest 1980s, this process has been growing significantly. As a result, the setting-up of a great and heterogeneous number of standards mirrors the ongoing transformations concerning food safety and food quality management among international agro-food chains.
The main goal of this research is to analyze the motivations which affect firms’ strategic decisions linked to use or not to use voluntary standards and their effects on firms’ business. The extent by which firms use voluntary standards for their products depends on many factors, among which the cost-benefit analysis and the marketing strategy pursued by firms.
This research analyze two different topics. First, the reasons and the obstacles to private standards diffusion within Italian retailers, through the study of Global-Gap standard case, which is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural production processes around the world. Unlike other standards, Global-Gap has succeeded in establishing as a leader both in Europe and in the world. Nonetheless, Global-Gap diffusion is not homogeneous both across territories and in the firm business strategies. The survey allowed to detect some explications to the particular Italian paradox, which consists in a high number of farms which implement Global-Gap standard, and in a low use by retailers operating in Italy in accrediting upstream actors, unlike the north European retailers which adopt this standard as a sort of passkey for fruit and vegetable producers.
Second, the effects of the Geographical Indication protection by means of the analysis of two cases from Tuscany: Pecorino Toscano DOP and Fagiolo di Sorana IGP. Fagiolo di Sorana IGP is a niche product cultivated in a small valley in Tuscany, mainly sold through direct marketing. On the other hand, Pecorino Toscano DOP is a traditional cheese produced in the whole Tuscan territory, and sold in Italy and abroad. The production is oriented towards supermarket, even though direct sales represent an important distribution channel, in particular for small dairies. Although not well conscious about their costs and benefits, firms use the protected GI to attain a wide spectrum of
results that are often far away from the expected ones. Besides, the way Product Specifications have been drawn greatly affects the effects generated by the GI protection.
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Economia e territorio
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