ABSTRACT
Change is a process and as such should requiring planning, management and maintenance in order to be sustainable. The case studies and examples given throughout the book mainly concern producers, as that is where most evidence of benchmarking for best practice in the industry is to be found. The reasons for change are frequently related to establishing a firmer position in the food supply chain, or to finding routes to market outside the chain. Some changes are to meet conditions imposed by supply chain organizations downstream. Change processes taking place throughout the whole supply chain are rare. What can be seen is that successful, sustainable change comes through planning and monitoring change processes, and that benchmarking plays an important role.
