Food safety standards as corporate social responsibility: A case study of infant food companies

Infant food companies present their food safety programs as an important part of their responsibility to society. How these companies justify their food safety programs is best understood using models developed to describe the concept of corporate social responsibility. Boltanski and Thevenot's worlds of justification provide the best conceptual framework for understanding the food safety appeals made by infant food companies. Examining public documents from infant food companies provided evidence on how infant food companies portray food safety messages. Interviewing actors within the US food safety system provided insights into the food safety issues that affect infant food companies. This study concludes with recommendations designed to improve infant food safety messages.