What Kind of Regulation for Organic Supply Chains?

This article examines the need for specialized regulatory frameworks in organic food chains, based on recent empirical and theoretical research. First, the authors identify information asymmetries in organic products, where buyers face both prescription uncertainty and content uncertainty, and show how the EU Organic Agriculture label developed over thirty years addresses these issues. Second, they analyze the drive for organizational innovation in alternative agri-food systems that oppose dominant market regulation, revealing that reliance on labeling can intensify price competition and hinder collaborative projects. Therefore, stakeholders are developing innovative regulatory approaches to safeguard their values and ensure system viability.