Food safety standards adoption and its impact on firms' export A literature review

Success of the 2030 Agenda is dependent on food safety as human development is not possible without universal access to safe food. Along with increasing trade, food safety has become a vital component of our sustainable future. Consequently, agro-food firms are under pressure to implement food safety standards (FSS) to reduce food borne illnesses, achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improve competitive advantage and gain access to foreign markets. Compliance with FSS can be challenging but a prerequisite to export in foreign markets. Therefore, the study aims to map out the currently available research concerning factors that influence FSS implementation at firm level and the impact of FSS on firms' export performance. We performed a systematic literature review covering 117 studies centered around four key themes: enablers, motives, barriers influencing FSS implementation at firm level, and impact of FSS on export performance. We also propose a conceptual framework to explain the relationships among various factors, FSS adoption, and export performance. The paper provides the first comprehensive review of factors influencing FSS implementation at firm level as well as the impact of FSS on export performance.