Managing quality in California food processing firms

The study evaluates the factors critical to effective quality management in California food processors. The survey results indicate that food processors perform relatively well in terms of the support given by senior management and the role of the quality department. However, the firms perform relatively poorly in the areas of training and employee awareness. Firms in which the responsibility for quality management is shared throughout the plant tend to perform better with respect to 8 of the 10 critical quality factors.