食料システムの転換と品質政策の確立

コンヴァンシオン理論のアプローチを借りて

抄録

The subject of this paper is to raise awareness of the direction of the agri-food systems through analysis of the EU quality policy, which has implemented a change from intervention policy, and convention theory theoretically based on the quality policy in France. (1) The EU quality policy proposes to link together protection and developing consumer and producer post-intervention policies, assuring food security and quality, and supplying food quality information to the consumer. Not only are the regulation of hygiene, security and health part of the compulsory policy, the support and sales promotion of high or varied qualities as a voluntary policy could be effective and would be an important focus. (2) Serious consideration should be given to the following: The market can work with institutions, and a diversity of such coordination would be rather effective. Most recently, a convention of rules and institutions of a market has been introduced by conventions of product quality. Convention is established according to the worlds of order of justifying oneself, as is illustrated in Boltanski L. and Thevnot L. (1991). (3) Providing quality is based on a convention founded as the result of the social confrontation process between different logic, not in the market. Conventions can change market conditions. For instance, an argument for regional diversity can establish the preservation of a particular taste with traditional craft and natural environment: protecting the name of the place of origin, as another standard is not competitive as a rule of cost and efficiency. (4) Quality institutions (e.g., brand, the name of the place of origin and certification) also come into play as a result of the social confrontation process. In such institutions, the objective is to secure the order of reliance, where reducing the uncertainty of quality and assisting consumers in the identification of products is required. Through this public coordination is introduced into household, industrial and market coordination. (5) Importance should be attached to the vertical linkage of food system actors to form an order of reliance. Typical vertical linkage can be found in beef quality-guarantee programs.