EU Trade Regulation for Baby Food: Protecting Health or Trade?

Abstract

Abstract This paper explores the effect of European Union (EU) food safety regulations onEUimports of baby food. Pesticides and contaminants contribute to various health problems. Children are more vulnerable to the dangers of pesticides and contaminants because as soon as they start eating solids, they consume a limited number of food items, most of which are fruits and vegetables. To protect the health of the most vulnerable part of the population, theEUregulations stipulate that no more than 0.01 mg/kg of any single pesticide residue is permitted in baby food. In this respect, theEUdiffers from most of its trading partners, the majority of which do not differentiate food safety regulations according to the age of the consumer. The purpose of this paper is to compare theEUregulations on maximum residue limits of pesticides to those of its major competitors through a severity index. This index is then introduced into a gravity equation to assess the impact onEUimports of baby food. We find that theEUregulation had a negative impact on the volume of trade but a positive one on the probability of setting up new trade relationships.

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