Technical knowledge for food product innovation in Thailand

Rapid, effective product design and launch requires advanced technical skills. As new knowledge is expanding at an exponential rate, it is critical that food technologists keep up to date with international scientific developments. Interviews with 62 food-processing companies, 43 technical information providers, and three focus groups with technical food product developers were conducted in this study. The main technical knowledge sources used by Thai food-manufacturing companies to support the development of new branded food products have been identified. Thai food companies' internal technical staff were the major source of technical knowledge for food product development. Food ingredient suppliers were the most important external provider of knowledge to these technical staff. The main technical information provided included ingredient specifications, food recipes, consultancy, and product testing. New products that were radically innovative required greater input from external technical knowledge sources than products that were incrementally innovative. [EconLit citations: L150, L290, L660.] © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 20: 233-252, 2004.