Do private translation mechanisms encourage food safety in dairy production? Evidence from the Brazilian Conseleites

This study investigates how and why the translation role of private meso-institutions can help in the implementation of food safety norms in Brazilian dairy supply chains. Relying on a unique dataset containing producer-level data, we combine a difference-in-differences approach with matching to investigate the experience of the Brazilian Conseleites. Our results indicate that milk quality levels tend to be higher in the states where Conseleites operate, suggesting a reduction in the cost of obtaining and disseminating information, and potentially, of transaction costs in a more general way.