Implementation of food safety and quality standards: A case study of vegetable processing industry in Zhejiang, China

Over the last decade great attention has been paid to food safety/quality control due to the increases of food especially pesticide residues related diseases in China. Firms of Chinese vegetable industry have adopted a number of standards that can enhance safety of products. This study uses binomial and ordinal Logistic Regression Models to identify the determinants that influence the adoption behavior and adoption magnitude of food safety/quality standards in Chinese vegetable processing sector. The findings indicate that adoption behavior and adoption intensity are very closely linked to firm's characteristics such as firm size, expected premium, export market, brand name, e-commerce, training frequency and traceability. Moreover, the results suggest that the significance and magnitude of the coefficients associated with the independent variables differ between binomial and ordered logistic models. The results provide policy implications for food safety regulation and promote adoption of standards in Chinese vegetable processing sector.

► Firms of Chinese vegetable industry adopt safety/quality standards which enhance products safety. ► We use binomial and ordinal logistic regression models to identify the determinants of adoption behavior and magnitude of food safety/quality standards. ► Firm's adoption behavior and adoption intensity are closely linked to its characteristics. ► The coefficients associated with the independent variables differ between two logistic regression models. ► Policy implications are provided for food safety regulation and promoting adoption behavior.