FOOD SAFETY AMONG AND BEYOND: THE POWER OF MARKET ACTORS, INSTITUTIONS AND RESEARCHERS IN THE NEW ERA OF FOOD SAFETY FROM FARM-TO-TABLE

Abstract

Purpose. The study objective is to assess the impact of a number of factors, such as buying and psychological behaviours, experience, knowledge and information about food quality and safety, trust in actors and institutions, risk perceptions, safety knowledge and willingness to pay, increased risks in last years and change in consumption, on the food safety of conventional agricultural products (vegetables) in the markets of the city of Tirana, Albania. Methodology / approach. The questionnaire used for achieving the study objective was initially discussed at the level of a focus group and after improvements was used in food markets of agri-products in the city of Tirana, Albania. Interviewing process (220 persons) was carried out according to the procedure of the random choice and an appropriate statistical model was used. Results. The study presents an assessment of the impact of some important factors to food safety and the specifics of recent years, illustrated by a research on the markets of conventional agri-products in Tirana, Albania. The results suggest special attention to the sustainability of food safety in the new era through coordinated actions of the key actors in the agri-food chain, governmental institutions, and especially researchers, considering the material and social concerns of the functioning of markets, building new consumption models and risk managements strategies. Originality / scientific novelty. In addition to a simplistic approach, the problem of food safety in Albania is related to the multi-plane development, regarding the functioning of institutions (eg formal, informal) and trust in them, actors in markets (eg producers, retailers, wholesalers, etc.) or socio-economic phenomena (eg migration, etc.), as factors that may affect differently to food safety. Sustainability of food safety is important for agricultural production, sustainable consumption and trade, which represent sectors with scope and importance for the country’s economy. Based on the multidisciplinary and multidimensional aspects of a wide group of factors (eg external, internal, etc.) acting in a predictable or unpredictable way and influencing food safety, the identification of possible links of some more specific ones in the case of Albania is of particular research interest and in its essence it represents a new approach applied in the country’s studies in that field. Practical value / implications. In the new era of science and innovations, of smart techniques and policies and consumers’ behaviours, characterized by the interaction of a multitude of factors, the research focus on the food safety is reasonable and makes a particular sense. The study may be useful in several aspects, and especially for (1) consumer protection agencies; (2) agricultural producer units; and (3) future research given the challenges of food safety in the new era.