Abstract:

This paper is divided into three parts. The first part briefly reviews some recent contributions which investigate the concept of quality in the agricultural food industry, with particular reference to the component of quality which, to use a significant neologism, is called environment friendliness. On the basis of the previous considerations, with the addition of some more specific comments, the second part of the paper suggests a more complex, comprehensive concept of quality - specifically, a systemic or holistic concept which takes account of all the relationships between the agricultural food company and the other "actors" or "stakeholders" in the system, each of which is able to influence the intrinsic quality produced for better or worse. The third part endeavours to interpret all these relationships in terms of marketing, briefly indicating the most important issues emerging and some implications on the various aspects of the marketing mix. The interplay between company and market, company and territory, and company and institutions is briefly examined, and some comments made from the standpoint of quality. In conclusion, reference is also made to some of the specific professional skills emerging in the agricultural sector which will become ever more crucial and therefore represent an important differentiating factor in terms of competition for innovatory companies.