Food from developing countries: steps to improve compliance

Developing countries seeking to expand their exports often turn to food exports and seek to market these products in developed countries such as the United States. To be successful, developing countries must overcome an array of obstacles, including the need to comply with the food safety and other requirements of the importing country. This article discusses how compliance with international food norms and national food laws benefits exporting and importing countries, what trends in food trade influence measures to deal with food problems, and what categories of controls are available to deal with good products offered for importation. The article concludes by outlining several suggested steps that can be taken to improve the likelihood of acceptability of food offered for importation. These steps include assessing the needs of the importing country and improving the physical, legal, and technical infrastructure in various ways. Technical assistance from developed countries and international organizations can assist developing countries, but such assistance needs to be carefully designed and coordinated.