Measures ensuring the food quality on retail markets: experimental perspective

Abstract

Due to the ongoing problems with the quality of foods in European markets, the public authorities try to take some measures, which would reduce the amount of substandard food products off ered to consumers in retailing. Th ree such measures -the higher frequency of quality checks conducted by public authorities, the imposition of some import barriers on the foodstuff s from countries known for their frequent breaches of quality standards in the food industry and the establishment of an information platform serving for the public pillorying of poor quality food -are studied in this paper. Th e experimental policy analysis was used as the research method. Th e results obtained show that only the higher frequency of quality checks can improve the situation of consumers. Th is measure is also eff ective in punishing the dishonest retailers, while not harming the honest ones.