60- Quality -1- The big paradox

QUALITY: THE BIG PARADOX

Many people, among consumers, agree to find that fruits and vegetables do not have the quality of old.

Yet never in the history of humanity have been done as much for the quality of efforts, and indeed food have never reached such a level of quality.

In reality, all actors in the food chain are of quality. The farmer works daily to produce the highest quality. The buyer almost always buy according to a specification quality loads. Distributors always demand more quality in the products they will offer for sale.

Yet ultimately, consumers complain that the quality of food available to them.

In a way, it can be said that the proposed food products are high quality, but that quality is not recognized.

This is the big paradox of quality.

By the way, what is quality?

Here we are. This is the heart of the problem. Everyone makes quality, but nobody interprets this word in the same way.

In fact, it is not exactly that. Everyone uses the word to the criteria that interest the most.

Here is the definition of "quality" in the digital Cambridge dictionary "How good or ​bad something is."

That's exactly right. Each of the actors, from grower to consumer, expects something different from the same product because its concerns are different. It's the eternal question of what is good, what is bad?

-       The farmer waits from the product to be sufficiently productive, that its technical management, its harvest and sale correspond to his expertise, his habits and his equipment, to reach a high percentage of first choice to allow him to draw an adequate sales price for a reasonable profit.

In short, the farmer needs to satisfy its customers so that they are faithful and they allow him to live with dignity from his work.

-       The supermarket expects from the same product, to be beautiful, to have the size which corresponds to the wishes of its customers, to be good enough so that the consumer is not disappointed (note that it's not that the consumer enjoy it, just that he is not disappointed, this is an important distinction) and to hold out in the shelves, ie that it keeps well and is resistant to manipulation, not always delicate, of consumers trying to choose. He also needs to buy at an enough low price to resell it to the consumer at an attractive price, while generating a good profit margin.

In short, the supermarket needs that its customers, consumers, are sufficiently satisfied to come back and do not look elsewhere.

-       The consumer expects above all, from the same product, to have a good taste, a pleasant texture, to be nutritious, easy to prepare, to be easy to cook if it is its destination, to have an affordable price and that he and his diners (usually family) are satisfied with the result.

In short, the consumer wants to eat reassured and satisfied. He also wants to make life easier and not to look elsewhere than in its usual places of purchases.

All this leads us to ask several questions:

- What are these quality criteria?

- What awaits every player in the industry?

- Can we improve quality?

This word, actual tote has a great importance for the acceptance of marketed products and for the recognition of work, often difficult, made by all stakeholders in the sector.

I will propose some answer elements to these questions in this new series dedicated to quality.

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