ISHS Acta Horticulturae 524: XXV International Horticultural Congress, Part 14: Horticultural Economics at Micro and Macro Level, International Trade and Marketing, International Cooperative Programs, Relations between Research, Development, Extension and Education
CONSUMER ATTITUDE TO INTEGRATED QUALITY MANAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE VEGETABLE CHAIN |
| Authors: | J. Viaene, W. Verbeke, X. Gellynck |
| Keywords: | Belgium, chain, consumer attitude, quality management, survey, vegetables |
| Abstract:
The supply chain for perishable products has changed during the previous decade. Formerly, supply chain management was mainly considered as a means to achieve higher levels of service and substantial savings in costs. Nowadays, it is more and more seen as an opportunity to establish a sustainable competitive advantage in an environment directed by the consumer. Winning consumers is based on delivering satisfaction and quality. Hence, integrated quality management (IQM) over the different links of the market chain has become a key success factor for many industries. The research at hand focuses at identifying topics within IQM in the vegetable chain which correspond with consumer requirements. These topics form the basis for communication with the consumer about the IQM-concept and for establishing competitive advantages by the vegetable industry. The research methodology is based on a qualitative, exploratory focus group discussions and a quantitative survey with 500 respondents. The respondents are selected by means of quota sampling. The sample is representative for the Belgian population in terms of age, place of living and family life cycle stage. The study reveals the interests attached by consumers to soil preparation, seed choice, growth surveillance, harvesting and processing. The research leads, first to the formulation of key attention points for consumer-oriented quality management of vegetables throughout the chain, and second to recommendations for communicating the IQM-concept to the vegetable consumer. | |
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