About this Research Topic
In recent decades, scholars, international organizations, and policy-makers have paid significant attention to sustainability. In particular, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015 include various aspects of environmental, social, and economic issues. Food certification is closely associated to food standard and safety, food security, public health, nutrition labelling and rating systems, food fairness, child labor, global value chain and trade, uses of agricultural inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides, oil & gas, electricity), exploitation of natural resources (such as water, soil, forest, fishery), and wastes of food production and consumption processes. For example, certification may include standards such as Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Certified Organic, Global GAP, and so forth. In addition, high-level food certification is related to community development, fairness and equality, high-added value, nutritional standards, and application of technology and science. Yet, the development of comprehensive and universally accepted standards for sustainability can be challenging especially for emerging, multidimensional and complex sustainability issues. Therefore, food certification is importantly relevant to a great number of SDGs, related targets and their indicators.
In practice and business, enterprises can achieve substantial benefits from food certification. Food certification is one of the common requirements for food businesses, especially for global food trade with developed markets. Enterprises with certified food products can benefit from various advantages, such as: satisfying consumer expectations, strengthening the confidence of customers, increasing brand credibility and value, participating in the global value chain, reducing barriers to international trade and markets, strengthening relationships among food chain actors, enhancing competitiveness, avoiding market and reputational risks, meeting regulatory and legal requirements, increasing sales and turnover, and finally getting higher price and profitability. However, opportunities for implementing and achieving food certification are relatively limited, especially for small and medium scale companies and in developing economies. Farmers and producers may encounter various barriers and challenges to implement and obtain food certification, such as: financial limitation, lack of experience and knowledge, difficulty finding a suitable certification body and/or competent consultant, requirement of large-scale farms or production systems, lack of commitment and monitoring by the management, low awareness of the importance of food certification, and lack of cooperation and motivation among the employees.
Food certification is a significant and essential field of research and application for scientists, policy-makers, and practitioners. However, there is a wide research gap in food certification. Research articles to be published in this topic should contribute understanding of:
• Exploring determinants of applying and achieving of food certification,
• Identifying solutions and strategies to expand application of food certification,
• Exploration for setting the standards for new food certification
• Identifying approaches and standards to improve sustainability certification frameworks
• Consolidating success and value of food certification,
• Determining drivers and barriers to application of food certification,
• Evaluating impacts and benefits of food certification,
• Relationship, role, and contribution of food certification to the SDGs,
• Association of food certification with food trade, food marketing, and food consumption,
• Roles of food certification in global trade and value chains,
• Technological and institutional innovation affecting food certification,
• Nutrition and health aspects of food certification,
• Producer perception and attitude toward food certification,
• Consumer perception and attitude toward food certification,
• Influence of food certification on agri-food policies and strategies, and,
• Other not-fully-understood issues related to food certification.
In practice and business, enterprises can achieve substantial benefits from food certification. Food certification is one of the common requirements for food businesses, especially for global food trade with developed markets. Enterprises with certified food products can benefit from various advantages, such as: satisfying consumer expectations, strengthening the confidence of customers, increasing brand credibility and value, participating in the global value chain, reducing barriers to international trade and markets, strengthening relationships among food chain actors, enhancing competitiveness, avoiding market and reputational risks, meeting regulatory and legal requirements, increasing sales and turnover, and finally getting higher price and profitability. However, opportunities for implementing and achieving food certification are relatively limited, especially for small and medium scale companies and in developing economies. Farmers and producers may encounter various barriers and challenges to implement and obtain food certification, such as: financial limitation, lack of experience and knowledge, difficulty finding a suitable certification body and/or competent consultant, requirement of large-scale farms or production systems, lack of commitment and monitoring by the management, low awareness of the importance of food certification, and lack of cooperation and motivation among the employees.
Food certification is a significant and essential field of research and application for scientists, policy-makers, and practitioners. However, there is a wide research gap in food certification. Research articles to be published in this topic should contribute understanding of:
• Exploring determinants of applying and achieving of food certification,
• Identifying solutions and strategies to expand application of food certification,
• Exploration for setting the standards for new food certification
• Identifying approaches and standards to improve sustainability certification frameworks
• Consolidating success and value of food certification,
• Determining drivers and barriers to application of food certification,
• Evaluating impacts and benefits of food certification,
• Relationship, role, and contribution of food certification to the SDGs,
• Association of food certification with food trade, food marketing, and food consumption,
• Roles of food certification in global trade and value chains,
• Technological and institutional innovation affecting food certification,
• Nutrition and health aspects of food certification,
• Producer perception and attitude toward food certification,
• Consumer perception and attitude toward food certification,
• Influence of food certification on agri-food policies and strategies, and,
• Other not-fully-understood issues related to food certification.
Keywords: food certification, food chain sustainability, agricultural economics, food policy, certified foods, food labelling, food trade, food value chains
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
