Transparency for Sustainability in the Food Chain : Challenges and Research Needs

Transparency for Sustainability in the Food Chain lays out the key issues and challenges in food safety, food quality, chain integrity, the link with consumers, and the technological base of tracking and tracing systems. This succinct volume brings readers up to speed on the state of the art in these areas, and the research trends in specific domains. Transparency in the food sector, especially to consumers, is one of the priority issues on the agenda of consumer policy representatives. Food scandals and deficiencies in consumer communication have drawn increasing demands for food policies that ensure that food is safe and of the quality consumers expect. Further, consumers increasingly expect that food production processes limit negative impacts on the environment and consider social concerns. Moving toward improved transparency requires action by stakeholders of the food chain but also knowledge on where and how to move. Researchers and professionals working in food sourcing, regulation, safety, and distribution will benefit from this clear overview. Specifies research to increase transparency in consumer communicationDetails the state of the art and research challenges in several specific food supply domainsInvolves food safety, food quality, chain integrity, the link with consumers, and the technological base of tracking and tracing systems