Quality standards and international commerce of fruits and vegetables

The control of production costs, transformation and transport of fruit and vegetable products and the valorisation of their quality represent the two main strategies to tackle the increased competition in the international markets. The treaties established by the European Union for an official recognition of the system of the denominations of origin at international level do not seem to achieve success in the short term. So, increasing interest is being taken on by "quality standards", supported by the Great Organized Distribution (GDO), in that they are able to be shared by trade operators in an international framework.In order to increase their own competitiveness, the major distributors are concerned with rationalising the system of transfer of products from the field to the consumer, respecting the quality and wholesomeness of the foods, monitoring production methods and the transformation processes used. Moreover, some of these quality standards, conceived specifically for the fruit and vegetable sector (Eurepgap, BRC, IFS) prove able to ensure the respect for many requisites where regulations of different countries are uncertain or lacking, favouring an extended enactment of policies of food safety. This contribution, after a short review on quality standards, intends to illustrate the role and potential of such instruments of certification of fruit and vegetable products, dwelling, in particular, on those of greater interest for the agricultural and food industries, highlighting some effects generated by the more diffused standards in Europe on production companies, on environmental sustainability and on the working conditions of employees.