Multiple Food Standards and Firm Performance: the case of Apple industry in South Africa

The School of Sustainability hosted Effie Kesidou, from the University of Leeds, as part of a series of research seminars that bring together faculty and students engaged in sustainability research to present and discuss their work.
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Although prior studies highlight the importance of standards for firm performance, little research has examined the role of multiple standards. Using insights from signaling theory and the resource-based view of the firm, this project examines: (i) whether firms that adopt multiple food standards increase their export performance, and (ii) how the relationship between multiple food standards (FSs) and export performance is influenced by the extend of firm’s adoption of a comprehensive integrated pest management (IPM) system. Based on a mixed-method approach of the case of the apple industry in South Africa, we find that multiple food standards, despite emitting credible signals to foreign buyers, do not drive export growth. Our results demonstrate that only when firms with multiple FSs, adopt a comprehensive IPM system, are able to increase their exports.