A note on the economy of qualities: attributing production practices to agricultural practices.

Agricultural products are valued for many attributes including those that describe production practices. These production attributes are established through public and private efforts to promulgate standards and labels that differentiate products based on labor treatment, environmental impact, animal welfare, and other practices that occur during production. Organizations, like third-party certifiers, coordinate information and give credence to products in a way that enables consumers to differentiate products by production practices. Libertarian and utilitarian arguments may be used in the normative debate surrounding the appropriate role of government in sponsoring standards and labels that inform consumers about the modes of production. The contemporary agrifood system is increasingly responsive to concerns about production practices. For example, the 2009 McDonald’s Corporate Responsibility Report highlights that 98 percent of their fish is sourced from fisheries with “favorable sustainability ratings” (McDonald’s 2009). The report also notes that 97 percent of the abattoirs in their supply chain were audited and 99 percent passed. The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) is also concerned with production practices and process standards as the basis for labeling. The NOP differentiates products based on production processes; organic certification does not subject the product itself to regular testing (see Deaton and Hoehn 2005). Fair Trade