While it is important to express one's own interests, it is also very important to understand what other people think about the same subject. This section tries to give some hints at what other actors in the food supply chain might thinkabout the topics that you care about. Of course you can always change the viewpoint, but this is a good place to introduce yourself to other people's thinking.
What other people think
Consumers |
A consumer is mostly interested in the fact that a food item has the expected and promised quality and that this can be documented by the brand owner or retail/HORECA. The proper documentation and vision of control from the food chain build trust to the consumer. Even though the documentation is not checked very often by the consumer, it is important that the consumer will receive necessary information in the case of problems. Missing management and control can harm the brand and also the different companies in the food chain in the short or long run if a product or service is perceived as bad. Go to viewpoint. |
Operational |
Quality assurance is an important aspect of the operational view related to the production, management and sale of food. Missing quality means direct loss for the actors and it is important for every actor along the chain to ensure that all incoming food have the required quality to assure that the outgoing goods are as good as possible. Traceability will thus be important both for managing incoming and documenting outgoing food. Go to viewpoint. |
Supply Chain |
As for the operational aspect, documented quality of the goods that flow through the chain is regarded as important. Bad supply chain management can lead to lower throughput of the food items, i.e., decreased quality of goods and reduced shelf life. Quality is thus an attribute that leads to motivation for optimisation of the supply chain. Go to viewpoint. |
Public Authority |
The public authority sets requirements and laws related to food safety. Quality is a direct measurement of the state of the food in any part of a supply chain. A documentation of quality can be used to enforce and provide necessary proof of legality and fulfillment of authority requirements. Go to viewpoint. |
ICT |
ICT sets possibilities and constraints of what can be captured, communicated and used. Quality requirements needs to be captured and translated to ICT functionality. This is especially important in the early phases of system development as well as in the evalution phase of the development. Go to viewpoint. |