No Such Thing as a Free Safe Lunch: The Cost of Food Safety Regulation in the Meat Industry
利用制造业普查数据，检验食品安全是否影响生产效率，发现食品安全监管的效率成本可能超过美国农业部估算的收益，且监管成本对除最小工厂外的所有工厂规模中性。
Abstract This study develops theoretical and econometric cost function models for the meat industry to test the hypothesis of safety exogeneity , i.e., that product safety does not affect productive efficiency. Using plant‐level data from the Census of Manufactures, this hypothesis is rejected. Estimates of the impacts of food safety regulation on variable cost of production in the beef, pork, and poultry industries show that the efficiency costs of food safety regulations could plausibly exceed benefits estimated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Costs of regulation per pound of meat are found to be size neutral for all but the smallest plants.