Overview
       Background
       Attitudes about Biotech
       Customer/consumer importance
       Satisfy needs through differentiation
       Customer focused systems – QMS
       ISO 9000
       Implementation issues
       AG 9000
       Standards process
                             
  Background
       Increased usage of biotechnology 
       in agriculture
         Grower benefits including pesticide 
         reduction, increased profit
       As a result, current use of GM 
       modified food products widespread
         95% of Argentinean soybeans GM 
         modified (Millis, 2001)
                            
   Customer Attitudes
      Concerns about                  Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe?
      use biotechnology                                     0.46
      in US and abroad 
      range from little               0.29
      concern to                                 0.25
      outright opposition
         Poll of US citizens 
         of GM food safety:
                                       Safe       Unsafe    Not Sure
          (Hoban, 2001)
  Result: strong consumer resistance to GM in many countries
                                   
   Customer Focused Markets
        There are more open, transparent, 
        market-oriented economic systems 
        today than ever before.
           Customer choice on food preferences or 
           traits results get back to producer
            • South Korea buys a majority of soybeans from 
              Brazil rather than US due to non-GM soybeans 
              Brazil supplies (Harl, 2002)
           Consumer/customer dominates the debate 
           (Harl, 2002)
                                
   Market Conditions Today
        Increased customer demand for 
        product information
           Result: Global markets moving from 
           homogenous foodstuffs to 
           differentiated foodstuffs
            •Food products increasingly defined by 
              product differentiation rather than as 
              commodities categorized by grades 
              (Reardon, 2002)