THE IMPORTANCE OF CERTIFICATION FOR OLIVE OIL MARKET IN ALBANIA

Abstract

In recent years the agro-food sector has become part of several scandals. For this reason consumer demand for safe food products is ever-increasing; they pay more attention to the food safety and would like to purchase high quality products. The certification process is an important element for the company and consumers but despite this compared to Central and Eastern European countries, Albania has a very low number of certification schemes. Certification ensures that the production process or product meets the requirements and standards set. This paper aims to analyze the role on certification in olive oil sector in Albania. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the certification schemes used in the olive oil sector and the benefits of these schemes. The data used for this paper are secondary data obtained from official sources of information and data collected through a questionnaire.