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Value-Adding Standards in the North American Food Market

Trade opportunities in certified products for developing countries

Year of publication 2008

Pages 94

Author Trade and Markets Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Series title FAO Commodities and Trade Technical Paper

Series number 1729-9829

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) This publication analyses the use of voluntary standards and certication schemes in the food markets of the United States of America and Canada. With its large population and its high individual purchasing power, North America provides considerable opportunities for exports of value-added agricultural products. Consumers are increasingly attentive to the social and environmental aspects of food production as evidenced by the signicant expansion of certied food sales in both natural food stores a nd mainstream supermarket chains. North America ranks just behind Europe, the worlds leading region in terms of certied food sales. The United States of America is the worlds largest organic food market and accounts for over 40 percent of global sales. The report assesses the market opportunities for developing countries aiming to export value-added certied foods to North America. After discussing the potential of various types of voluntary standards for adding value to agricultural produc ts, it focuses on a few environmental and social certication schemes that use a registered on-product label targeting consumers. Special emphasis is put on organic and fair trade certied agricultural products due to their value-adding potential, their level of recognition by consumers and the strong and sustained growth of demand. The main product categories examined are tropical fruits, coee and cocoa owing to their economic signicance to many developing countries and their high market potentia l in North America.

Language English

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