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Barriers to the adoption of quality assurance systems in the food and Georg Küpper* and Peter J Batt Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia Abstract For most small to medium sized food enterprises, the adoption of one or more quality assurance (QA) programs requires owner-managers to embark upon a completely new way of managing food safety and food quality. Most small food businesses have little motivation to implement QA programs largely due to their business philosophy and culture and the belief that they already produce safe food. However, in the wake of numerous global food safety incidences, the adoption of QA programs is becoming mandatory in order to access markets and to protect the business from potential litigation. This paper presents an overview of the literature pertaining to the barriers small to medium sized food and beverage businesses face in implementing a formal QA program. Keywords: adoption; barriers; benefits; food sector; quality assurance; SMEs Stewart Postharvest Review 2009, 3:2 Published online 01 June 2009 doi: 10.2212/spr.2009.3.2 |