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Abstract
This paper discusses the traceability concept in the food business. Based on the
transaction costs economics, it describes the adoption of traceability mechanisms in the UK beef
market and examines the effects on the governance mechanisms in the production and distribution
chain. The basic hypothesis is that, in the absence of information technology (IT), strictly
coordinated mechanisms will occur. As the use of IT spreads, a decrease in information asymmetry
and, consequently, more flexible governance structures may be observed.