FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE KEY DRIVERS OF COMPETITIVENESS

Under an institutional and organizational collapsed environment caused by Argentine cracked economical and political situation, farmers and producers are forced to add value through technological innovation designs in order to be competitive at the international market. Food safety and Quality Assurance systems appear as key drivers of competitiveness. Three emerging models are comparatively analyzed, evaluating real agribusiness that are developing HACCP, Quality & Origin Protocol and ISO 9001 Quality Management. As a result, the different level of success and impact of those agribusinesses immersed in the aforementioned external constraints and no less precarious internal limitations based on cultural, technological and financial limitations are uncertain and variable.