Food quality policies and consumer interests in the EU

Abstract

The EU agricultural product quality policy concentrates on product qualities such as geographical origin, a product's traditional character or organic production method. Alongside numerous voluntary certification schemes, these schemesallow for European consumers to obtain quality-guaranteed foodstuffs, and for European producers to differentiate their products in an increasingly competitive and globalized food market. This chapter discusses the challenge of informing consumers about food quality and it reviews consumer interest in relation to origin-labelled, traditional and organic foods. While these qualities generally appeal to European food consumers, several real or perceived barriers to increased purchase persist, such as price, availability or uncertainty with respect to the true production method or product character.