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Over the past two years the World Bank has carried out major analytical work on the challenges and opportunities for developing countries associated with increasingly stringent international sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards (SPS). This research included analyses of high-value food product supply chains in nine low and middle income countries and surveys of importers and retailers in the EU, Japan and the USA. The research examined the changing commercial and regulatory environment within industrialised countries, the strategies being adopted by developing countries and exporters in response, the apparent costs and benefits associated with compliance with external market standards, and the impact of these patterns on competitiveness and market access. This work brings new insights to on-going policy discussions pertaining to trade, SPS standards, and capacity building activities in developing countries.
The summary of the study can be found attached, and further information on the study itself can be found on www.worldbank.org/trade/standards.
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