Constructions of raw materials' quality in miso supply networks

Abstract

In Japan, developing quality food supply system based local ecologies and cultures has been advocated as a possible strategy for differentiation by locality-based food enterprises. Quality is regulated by several institutions based on different socioeconomic contexts, the meaning of which thus varies among people, regions, and countries. To understand such quality food supply chains, therefore, it is necessary to accumulate empirical studies on what constitutes quality taking into account the economic and sociocultural contexts in Japan. The aim of this paper is to examine how the quality of raw materials used in miso (soybean paste) production is evaluated, focusing on miso supply networks of locality-based enterprises A and B. It considers first how the quality of raw materials is conceptualized by these miso processors, their suppliers of raw materials, and their consumers. It then examines how these actors' behaviors combine the social with the material aspects of quality. Finally, the paper reflects on how quality is maintained among people participating in the miso network. The results are summarized as follows. 1) Local companies A and B have defined quality in terms of the production method and procurement form of raw materials. In the process, their attitudes toward raw materials were influenced by those of farmers and consumers who are very conscious of food safety. 2) Companies A and B made preparations for materializing quality, while receiving farmers' agreement with the conceptualized quality. Then they made a positive approach to farmers who were well grounded in accepting it. As a result, networks for procurement were built up, which showed a distinctive process of spatial growth according to the specific production conditions of raw materials. 3) Close relations between local processors, consumers, and farmers are paramount in the maintenance of quality. For example, by means of letters, phone calls, and the Internet, companies A and B make efforts to communicate accurate information on raw materials to consumers, while building up technical support systems for farmers. 4) Building these relationships also helps these companies to reduce spatial distances among network participants.