Consumers are increasingly considering information on how foods are produced in making their buying decisions. For example, in the United States sales of products labeled as organic were estimated at over $3 billion in 1996. Federal and state governments are facing tough choices in deciding how...

The policy environment surrounding issues of the safety and nutritional quality of the U.S. food supply is in considerable,although not unusual,turmoil. Calls for reform touch on every aspect of the regulatory effort,including standards,methods of achieving standards,and the choice of agencies...

Traditionally, the key policy issues for the agricultural and food sector have focused on prices and quantities. For example, one of the major stated purposes of the 1990 farm bill is "to ensure consumers an abundance of food and fiber at reasonable prices." Now, however, assuring the quality of...