System Dynamics in Food Quality Certifications: Development of an Audit Integrity System

Due to the complex structure of certification schemes the risk of flaws and scandals is generally high. It has further increased by several developments during the last years. With regard to their potential effects, it is questionable whether the certification approaches are actually able to detect deficiencies within the system and thus prevent crises which may lead to its breakdown. Hence, the ability of a standard to meet its objectives of food quality and safety needs to be enforced. In this contribution we launch the implementation of a controlling tool which automatically monitors audit quality based on information of the respective data bases. By analysing possible negative influences, opportunistic behaviour can thus be detected.certification, quality assurance systems, risk oriented auditing approach, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty,

The Concept of Moral Progress

What is moral progress? Are we striving for moral progress when we seek to "make the world a better place"? What connects the different ways in which moral agents, their actions, and the world can become morally better? This book proposes an explication of the abstract concept of moral progress and explores its relation to our moral lives

Audit risk factors in certification: How can risk-oriented audits improve the quality of certification standards?

Over the past few years, certification standards have become increasingly relevant for the agribusiness sector. Substantial parts of the value chain are already certified by standards such as QS, IFS or EurepGap. It is not known, however, whether these approaches can actually ensure a high quality control. This article is based on the analysis of the data base of the QSsystem with more than 72,000 companies involved. It tries to deduce some first empirically rich hypotheses about the connection between auditing quality and the institutional framing of the certification.certification, quality assurance, risk oriented auditing approach, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

The dual transcriptional regulator CysR in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 controls a subset of genes of the McbR regulon in response to the availability of sulphide acceptor molecules

Background: Regulation of sulphur metabolism in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 has been studied intensively in the last few years, due to its industrial as well as scientific importance. Previously, the gene cg0156 was shown to belong to the regulon of McbR, a global transcriptional repressor of sulphur metabolism in C. glutamicum. This gene encodes a putative ROK-type regulator, a paralogue of the activator of sulphonate utilisation, SsuR. Therefore, it is an interesting candidate for study to further the understanding of the regulation of sulphur metabolism in C. glutamicum. Results: Deletion of cg0156, now designated cysR, results in the inability of the mutant to utilise sulphate and aliphatic sulphonates. DNA microarray hybridisations revealed 49 genes with significantly increased and 48 with decreased transcript levels in presence of the native CysR compared to a cysR deletion mutant. Among the genes positively controlled by CysR were the gene cluster involved in sulphate reduction, fpr2 cysIXHDNYZ, and ssuR. Gel retardation experiments demonstrated that binding of CysR to DNA depends in vitro on the presence of either O-acetyl-L-serine or O-acetyl-L-homoserine. Mapping of the transcription start points of five transcription units helped to identify a 10 bp inverted repeat as the possible CysR binding site. Subsequent in vivo tests proved this motif to be necessary for CysR-dependent transcriptional regulation. Conclusion: CysR acts as the functional analogue of the unrelated LysR-type regulator CysB from Escherichia coli, controlling sulphide production in response to acceptor availability. In both bacteria, gene duplication events seem to have taken place which resulted in the evolution of dedicated regulators for the control of sulphonate utilisation. The striking convergent evolution of network topology indicates the strong selective pressure to control the metabolism of the essential but often toxic sulphur-containing (bio-)molecules

Supply Chain Reputation in der Fleischwirtschaft

In den vergangenen Jahren ist das Agribusiness vermehrt in den öffentlichen Fokus gerückt. Längst interessiert sich die Gesellschaft nicht mehr nur für Produktsicherheit und -qualität, sondern sukzessive such für soziale, ethische und ökologische Aspekte. Durch die zahlreichen Skandale und Krisen gerät insbesondere die Fleischwirtschaft ins öffentliche Wahrnehmungsfeld. Aufgrund ihres hohen Einflusspotentials ist die Öffentlichkeit zu einem wichtigen Faktor für den Erfolg des einzelnen Unternehmens, aber auch insgesamt für die Fleischwirtschaft geworden. In dem gesellschaftlichen Diskurs hat es die Fleischbranche bislang nicht verstanden sich in die Diskussionen einzubringen. In zahlreichen Studien konnte demgegenüber nachgewiesen werden, dass Firmen mit einer guten Reputation über dauerhafte Unterstützungspotentiale verfügen. Die Ergebnisse der präsentierten Studie zeigen ein sehr heterogenes Bild hinsichtlich der Reputation. Im Vergleich zu anderen Agrar- und Nicht-Agrarsektoren hat die Fleischwirtschaft den schlechtesten Ruf. Innerhalb der Branche treten starke Unterschiede zwischen den Wertschöpfungsstufen auf. Während die Landwirtschaft und der LEH ein recht hohes Maß an Vertrauen und Glaubwürdigkeit besitzen, wird die Reputation des Sektors vor allem durch den negativen Ruf der Schlachtunternehmen und Wursthersteller nachhaltig beeinflusst. Beide Stufen leiden unter einem massiven Kommunikationsdefizit. --

Heterogeneity in the Evaluation of Quality Assurance Systems: The International Food Standard (IFS) in European Agribusiness

Due to the growing demands of customers and several food crises, quality assurance schemes have become increasingly popular in agribusiness. With this trend in mind, it seems worthwhile to take a closer look at the satisfaction of participating European companies. The study focuses on the IFS, which has gained much relevance in the food industry. A questionnaire concerned with perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of the IFS was answered by 389 companies. The results indicate that the overall evaluation of the IFS is primarily affected by the perceived usefulness of the catalogue of requirements and its evaluation. Furthermore, a cluster analysis was conducted and three clusters were identified, representing heterogeneous evaluations of the IFS.evaluation, quality assurance systems, International Food Standard, agribusiness, Agribusiness, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Q10, Q13, Q18,

System Dynamics in Food Quality Certifications: Development of an Audit Integrity System

Due to the complex structure of certification schemes the risk of flaws and scandals is generally high. It has further increased by several developments during the last years. With regard to their potential effects, it is questionable whether the certification approaches are actually able to detect deficiencies within the system and thus prevent crises which may lead to its breakdown. Hence, the ability of a standard to meet its objectives of food quality and safety needs to be enforced. In this contribution we launch the implementation of a controlling tool which automatically monitors audit quality based on information of the respective data bases. By analysing possible negative influences, oppor­tunistic behaviour can thus be detected

Complete Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium camporealensis DSM 44610, Isolated from the Milk of a Manchega Sheep with Subclinical Mastitis

Rückert C, Albersmeier A, Winkler A, Tauch A. Complete Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium camporealensis DSM 44610, Isolated from the Milk of a Manchega Sheep with Subclinical Mastitis. Genome announcements. 2015;3(3): e00572-15.Corynebacterium camporealensis has been isolated in pure culture from milk samples of dairy sheep affected by subclinical mastitis. The complete genome sequence of the type strain DSM 44610, recovered from milk of a Manchega sheep, comprises 2,451,810 bp with a mean G+C content of 59.41% and 2,249 protein-coding genes

ZUR STABILITÄT VON GESCHÄFTSBEZIEHUNGEN AUF DEM LANDPACHTMARKT: EINE KAUSALANALYSE ZUR WECHSELBEREITSCHAFT VON VERPÄCHTERN

Beziehungsqualität, opportunistisches Verhalten, Preiszufriedenheit, PLS, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,