Abstract

Traceability has increased in importance for market access over the last couple of decades. This has been driven by the BSE and other food scares. This paper reviews the history of traceability, including changing consumer preferences, and the change in legislation which has also been an important factor behind this demand. The paper then reviews various studies that have assessed consumer preferences and their willingness to pay for traceability and/or Country of Origin Labelling (COOL). In general, consumers are willing to pay extra for traceability. The reasons behind this appear to be primarily driven by demands for food safety, especially in relation to certain food scares such as to avoid BSE beef. New Zealand is in an excellent position regarding its ability to comply with these requirements.

CM, Saunders

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 65, Christchurch, 113-116, 2005