ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book implies a significant element of learning, information sharing and adaptive innovation of best practices, not simply monitoring of performance. It highlights the issues surrounding the sharing of information and of trust between participants in food supply chains, not to mention significant complexity and fragmentation, and these inhibit benchmarking. The book provides the range and complexity of environmental benchmarks in the form of targets, codes and certification schemes was explored, and whilst farmers and food companies do make changes to meet environmental demands, these are largely customer driven. It explores where farmers have admitted to having increased their understanding of costs and activities from going through the processes of benchmarking. There is scope for extending this learning throughout the food supply chain, and benchmarking can be one tool for creating sustainable change in the industry.
