Innovation of food production systems : product quality and consumer acceptance

he quality of food products, as perceived by consumers, is a main driving force behind today's innovations in the food industry. Product development represents large investments of companies both in money and human resources and has to be accomplished in a highly competitive market situation. Consequently, product innovation should be considered in this context. In order to be successful, all aspects of product development should be put into proportion in a balanced and structured way. Internationally there is a reversal from a supply chain into a demand-oriented chain. This book aims at bringing together the various aspects related to consumer-driven product innovation and to present an integrated view on how the development of new food products is to be placed in a chain-oriented approach. Centred around the issue of product quality from the perspective of the consumer, this book deals with such topics as: changes of consumer perception of product quality; a structured approach for product development based on quality function deployment; the use of new and improved existing technologies in food production, logistics and information technology; the role of regulation and legislation; and quality management and control systems such as HACCP and TQM.