Purpose: To explore the effects and roles of various actors in a food safety innovation system.
Methods: The Australian red meat food safety innovation system was studied by conducting an on-line survey of participants in 41 past projects conducted by Meat & Livestock Australia, measuring innovation, actor involvement and effectiveness and conditions defined by two theories arising from sectoral and technological innovation systems literature. The study was guided by case study methodology, supplemented with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis and standard statistical techniques.
Results: Two hundred seventy survey responses were received. In this innovation system, projects with high membership in the innovation outcome set were likely to involve a larger number of actors than projects with low set membership. Researcher involvement and effectiveness was scored highly across all projects, so were not a significant factor in determining the innovation outcome. The involvement and effectiveness of actors such as industry firms, industry associations, government, the intermediary organization orchestrating the project was significantly greater (P<0.05) in projects with high innovation set membership than those with low membership. The development of a network of actors does not, by itself, lead to favorable innovation system conditions. There is no single defined configuration of actors that leads to innovation system conditions being met or to particular types of innovation outcome.
Significance: Innovation system theory provides policy-makers with guidance to create an environment that allows food safety innovation to occur. Management of projects is needed to ensure that innovation system conditions are met, and ensure that research meets stakeholder needs and is put into practice.