Determinants and Methods of Quality Management in Agriculture and Food Processing

Dear Colleagues,

Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent war in Ukraine have had a significant impact on the markets of raw materials and food products. In 2020–2021, the pandemic was responsible for record increases in the prices of cereals and cereal products. In 2022, there is an increase in the prices of all raw materials, especially food and energy raw materials. On the other hand, the recent war in Ukraine has severely disrupted the supply of these raw materials and led to historically soaring prices in many commodity markets. In particular, the increase in energy prices over the year was the largest since 1973. Thus, the comprehensive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had a profound impact on global commodity markets. The aim of this Topic is to provide a collection of high-quality research papers covering a wide range of topics with a fresh look at the quality of goods in an environment of economic and political uncertainty. We welcome original empirical and theoretical contributions to all aspects of quality determinants in commodity and food markets. We also welcome documents related to the situation and problems of agricultural exchanges. Quality plays a key role in commodity science and is the subject of a wide range of topics related to key areas of economic and social life. It is an interdisciplinary research area and is therefore the subject of research across many scientific disciplines. It is expressed in the way the organization is managed and is an important aspect that determines the success of the organization and at the same time constantly evolves. Currently, quality no longer relates to the extent to which a given product or service meets customer requirements, but also relates to management processes.

Quality management is the deliberate performance of the management function in terms of optimizing the use of resources and other factors, as well as process rationalization, and focuses on obtaining high-quality products and their continuous improvement. Therefore, in quality management, the goal should always be to improve the quality of products, aiming to satisfy the expectations and needs of the customer. Quality management is an approach that aims to improve the efficiency and flexibility of an organization in order to meet the requirements, needs and expectations of customers.

Currently, there is an increased interest in quality issues, which results from the development of the market and the desire to increase the competitiveness of enterprises. The continuous scientific and technical developments of the agricultural and processing industries and the need for the constant modification of products, with the aim to increase the efficiency of enterprises, means that more attention is paid to the quality of processes and final products. Striving to improve the quality of production, in turn, puts pressure on the introduction of innovative technologies. This results in an increase in labor productivity, the creation of a culture supporting innovation, modern products, a lower consumption of raw materials, increased pro-ecological effect, better use of the means of production, better satisfaction of the growing needs of customers and an increase in the pace of development of enterprises and the entire economy.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Sawicka
Dr. Barbara Krochmal-Marczak
Dr. Piotr Barbaś
Dr. Dominika Skiba
Topic Editors