ABSTRACT
The food industry has undergone several important changes in recent years. Various competitive forces have placed pressure on the prices and margins of suppliers of both fresh and processed food. Internationalization of the market has generated growing competition among companies, while mergers in the distribution sector have increased its market power. In developed countries food is a mature market, although it is true that the demand for safer, better quality, and healthier food is on the rise. As a result of these competitive pressures, food firms along the entire value-added chain have been forced to become more efficient and innovative, to introduce new products, explore new market segments (ready-made meals, nutritional, and organic foods), develop new processes and make changes in their organizational structure, reorganizing quality systems (Grunnert, Guillen, and McPerson, 1997).
