Dr Andrea Serna Castano is going to present the outcomes of a study focused on compliance of food safety regulations by the meat sector in England conducted in collabotation with the Food Standards Agency.
The study explores the determinants of compliance among meat food business operators (FBOs) in England. A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify key factors influencing compliance, drawing on research from 2017 to 2022 in the fields of economics, business, and finance. The analysis highlights hypotheses regarding the role of firm characteristics, director attributes, and local conditions in compliance behaviour. To test these hypotheses, audit data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) spanning 2014-2022, covering 1,070 FBOs, is analysed using both econometric and machine learning models. The econometric model employs a random effects approach to assess factors like firm size, director age, and regional influences, while an xgboost machine learning model captures non-linear relationships. The findings indicate that smaller FBOs, younger directors, high local poverty, and proximity to other meat FBOs are associated with higher non-compliance risks. The study’s results offer valuable insights for improving food safety practices and guiding policy decisions aimed at reducing regulatory violations in the meat sector.
Dr Andrea Serna Castano is an applied environmental and health economist with experience in experimental design, data analysis, and interdisciplinary research. She is a Research Associate at the University of Bath's Institute for Policy Research, where she collaborates on projects related to food regulation, sustainability, and Commercial Determinants of Health. With an academic background, including a PhD in Economics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and an MSc from the University of Copenhagen, Andrea has contributed to projects in environmental economics, health, and digital transformation across various international institutions.
