EVALUATION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

The "quality issue" in the agri-food sector has been gaining importance over the past few years. Firms are continually searching for techniques and tools which permit production of goods that meet as many as possible of the characteristics demanded by the market. Quality assurance methods and techniques can provide a useful tool for approaching evolving markets in the correct way. This paper focuses on a survey conducted in certain sub-sectors (fruit and vegetable, meal and pasta, wine) and is specifically restricted to the Emilia-Romagna region. The survey found that there is extensive awareness of and widespread interest in quality systems. However, the objective of initiating a pattern of renewal which incorporates quality systems has not yet been widely attained. The survey also highlighted a certain absence of the "quality culture" necessary for correctly addressing these issues. The second part of this paper focuses on the economic analysis of the costs related to quality systems (QS). Its aim is to apply a method for collecting data on activities and resources, and to analyse the results. The importance of QS-related costs is evident if we are to consider it an investment, entailing the deployment of management effort and funds, and yielding a set of benefits in return. Case study analyses were conducted utilising an original classification scheme. From the initial results it is possible to identify the principal cost categories. The method adopted could be useful for firms wishing to monitor their QS.Marketing,

EVALUATION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

The 'quality issue' in the agri-food sector has been gaining importance over the past few years. Firms are continually searching for techniques and tools which permit production of goods that meet as many as possible of the characteristics demanded by the market. Quality assurance methods and techniques can provide a useful tool for approaching evolving markets in the correct way. This paper focuses on a survey conducted in certain sub-sectors (fruit and vegetable, meal and pasta, wine) and is specifically restricted to the Emilia-Romagna region. The survey found that there is extensive awareness of and widespread interest in quality systems. However, the objective of initiating a pattern of renewal which incorporates quality systems has not yet been widely attained. The survey also highlighted a certain absence of the 'quality culture' necessary for correctly addressing these issues. The second part of this paper focuses on the economic analysis of the costs related to quality systems (QS). Its aim is to apply a method for collecting data on activities and resources, and to analyse the results. The importance of QS-related costs is evident if we are to consider it an investment, entailing the deployment of management effort and funds, and yielding a set of benefits in return. Case study analyses were conducted utilising an original classification scheme. From the initial results it is possible to identify the principal cost categories. The method adopted could be useful for firms wishing to monitor their QS.

Literature review on the perception of agro-foods quality cues in the international environment

Consumers look for the highest affordable food quality, given their household budgets and perceptions of product quality. Such perception is however strictly related to culturally linked variables, and the importance attached to each component of the overall quality vary greatly among countries. Different perceptions lead to different purchase decisions. This concept is even clearer for the aspects of quality that cant be tested directly. Consumer goods may be divided into search, experience and credence goods, depending on when the consumer is capable of assessing their quality (before buying, after consuming or in the very long term). Most quality agro-food products, such as food with geographical indications (GIs) and low input food (LIFs), fall into the credence good category. The aim of this paper is to point out how much attention is currently paid in literature (both scientific and popular: articles, papers, reports, marketing studies etc.) to the evaluation of the perceived value of such credence goods attributes for the quality food sector, and which relationships are mainly explored. A special attention will be paid to the situation in China.quality, agro-food, perception, Agribusiness,

Liquid air filtration and continuous monitoring: Customized indoor air quality

Air treatment in environmental air conditioning systems exposes the system to gases, contaminants, and often biological pollutants that cannot be solved by traditional mechanical filtration, motivating decision-makers to diagnose challenges and develop innovative strategies to mitigate the problem. More and more, in environments with high turnover of people (e.g., hospitals, hotels and shopping centers), fresh air ventilations are avoided and replaced by closed windows air purifier solutions to account for undesirable saturation of the atmosphere and the presence of pollutants such as PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0, nitrogen, and carbon oxides. The consensus is that polluting gases render the most efficient traditional filters ineffective. The ANSI/ASHRAE 62.1 and EN13779 standards reveal the absence of air treatment technologies that use the wet route in air conditioning systems. This work discusses the liquid air multi-venturi centrifugation technology of hydrodynamic precipitator purifiers in association with the synchronized and continuous monitoring of parameters (PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0, CO2) in the external urban environment and internal environments of a shopping center. It evaluates the performance of the wet route for the physical-chemical and biological treatment of air. Efficiency for retaining particulate matter in a single step without disposable filter reached levels above F9 (85-95% PM2.5), with a reduction of 82.4% for CO2. Wet route technology extends the air conditioner’s life, reducing external air flows and energy consumption by up to 13%, making IAQ a manageable and customizable variable. Among the conclusion of the investigation, the authors believe that the migration of industrial pollutant control technologies, such as liquid filtration promoted by gas scrubbers and hydrodynamic precipitators, should be considered as a first choice option due to the high efficiency achieved in the three types of pollutants to be controlled. That is micrometric particulate matter such as anthropogenic PM1.0 capable of reaching the lung alveoli, chemicals such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and biological assets such as viruses and bacteria that showed the vulnerability of HVAC-R systems during the COVID pandemic that rendered windowless corporate buildings unusable

La distribuzione alimentare

Analisi della distribuzione dei prodotti alimentari in Italia, riferita all'anno 2005-06. In particolare vengono messe in evidenza le dinamiche della grande distribuzione e le alleanze tra le imprese che operano nel settore

EVALUATION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

The "quality issue" in the agri-food sector has been gaining importance over the past few years. Firms are continually searching for techniques and tools which permit production of goods that meet as many as possible of the characteristics demanded by the market. Quality assurance methods and techniques can provide a useful tool for approaching evolving markets in the correct way. This paper focuses on a survey conducted in certain sub-sectors (fruit and vegetable, meal and pasta, wine) and is specifically restricted to the Emilia-Romagna region. The survey found that there is extensive awareness of and widespread interest in quality systems. However, the objective of initiating a pattern of renewal which incorporates quality systems has not yet been widely attained. The survey also highlighted a certain absence of the "quality culture" necessary for correctly addressing these issues. The second part of this paper focuses on the economic analysis of the costs related to quality systems (QS). Its aim is to apply a method for collecting data on activities and resources, and to analyse the results. The importance of QS-related costs is evident if we are to consider it an investment, entailing the deployment of management effort and funds, and yielding a set of benefits in return. Case study analyses were conducted utilising an original classification scheme. From the initial results it is possible to identify the principal cost categories. The method adopted could be useful for firms wishing to monitor their QS

Esigenze informative nell'analisi del sistema agroalimentare

La ricerca in ambito economico-agrario si è progressivamente spostata da una prospettiva di analisi aziendalistica e “autocentrica” a una sistemica. Tale atteggiamento è l’effetto della consapevolezza di come la competizione si svolga ormai fra sistemi integrati di imprese, piuttosto che fra singole realtà imprenditoriali, e di come la competitività sia il risultato dell’efficienza del sistema produttivo nel suo complesso, piuttosto che della singola impresa. Nonostante lo studio di filiere sia l’oggetto di diversi contributi accademici, rimane ancora l’esigenza di dotarsi di modelli teorici e metodologici propedeutici alla lettura e all’interpretazione delle dinamiche dei sistemi agroalimentari. Le esigenze conoscitive, però, non sempre riescono a essere soddisfatte da informazioni idonee alla ricerca. La disponibilità di informazioni per l’identificazione e lo studio del network agroalimentare sembra pertanto configurarsi come un problema ancora irrisolto. Occorre dunque colmare la carenza di informazioni in grado di assolvere contemporaneamente ai requisiti di sufficiente ampiezza (territoriale) e profondità (dettaglio merceologico), tali da consentire la più realistica descrizione del network agroalimentare e lo svolgimento di utili raffronti. Con la consapevolezza che l’adozione di qualsiasi sistema di rappresentazione della realtà per categorie comporta inevitabilmente una perdita degli elementi di conoscenza, lo studio intende evidenziare come le informazioni statistiche disponibili non sempre sono pienamente compatibili con il livello analitico desiderato e con l’articolazione teorica di riferimento

Literature review on the perception of agro-foods quality cues in the international environment

Consumers look for the highest affordable food quality, given their household budgets and perceptions of product quality. Such perception is however strictly related to culturally linked variables, and the importance attached to each component of the overall quality vary greatly among countries. Different perceptions lead to different purchase decisions. This concept is even clearer for the aspects of quality that can't be tested directly. Consumer goods may be divided into search, experience and credence goods, depending on when the consumer is capable of assessing their quality (before buying, after consuming or in the very long term). Most quality agro-food products, such as food with geographical indications (GIs) and low input food (LIFs), fall into the credence good category. The aim of this paper is to point out how much attention is currently paid in literature (both scientific and popular: articles, papers, reports, marketing studies etc.) to the evaluation of the perceived value of such credence goods attributes for the quality food sector, and which relationships are mainly explored. A special attention will be paid to the situation in China

Rurality study of restricted areas

Two main perspectives of investigation emerge from the study of a territory’s rurality: a geographical approach and a sociological approach. The research examines the sub-regional study case of ‘Nuovo circondario imolese’. The analysis shows that the combination of traditional institutional criteria with detailed informations about the territory, generates more accurate results which determine a better comprehension of the characteristics of restricted areas’ rurality. Over the period 1991-2001, the study highlights an increase in rural areas. This result could be interpreted as an effect of urban sprawl’s intensification, that increases the competition between non-farm residences and agricultural activities