Quality management systems like ISO 9000 have been used in the U.S. industrial sector for many years.  But these systems are relatively new to agriculture.  As food safety becomes a more important issue and consumers want a closer connection with the production of their food, the need for quality management systems will expand.

What is ISO 9000 gives you a basic understanding of what ISO is and what it involves. ISO 9000 & Quality Management Systems - When Quality Counts in Agriculture provides you with a more in-depth discussion of quality management systems – specifically ISO and how it relates to agriculture.  To get other perspectives on quality management systems read A Grower's Perspective on ISO. Source Verification for Iowa Specialty Grain Markets discusses source verification and its implications and considerations for the grain market.

Optimal Quality Assurance Systems for Agricultural Outputs provides insight into the questions of whether a buyer of agricultural outputs should implement a quality management system as a way to gain and provide information about product quality to its potential customers, and if the quality management system is profitable to adopt, what is the profit-maximizing degree of assurance in the system?

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Quality Management Systems

• Total Quality Management – CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit -- Today's competitive market, in almost every category of products and services, is characterized by accelerating changes, innovation, and massive amounts of new information.
• Analyzing the Perceived Impact of ISO 9000 Standards on U.S. Agribusinesses - Mississippi State University - Estimated equations for the reported perceived operational efficiency due to an adoption of one or more models of ISO 9000 standards for registered agribusiness sites based on QMS indicators.
  
• Process Verification Programs - Agriculture Marketing Service, USDA - The USDA Process Verification Programs provide producers and marketers of agricultural products the opportunity to assure customers of their ability to provide consistent quality products by having their written production and manufacturing processes confirmed through independent, third party audits.
  
• AUS-MEAT Limited - Responsible for establishing and maintaining National Industry Standards for Meat Production and Processing.

Traceability

• A Comparison of International Animal Identification Programs – National Ag Law Center -- As with many international issues that are addressed by the countries individually instead of on a global basis, the animal identification programs and their application varies widely between nations. This article discusses the programs that have been implemented by certain countries. Within this discussion, issues are addressed when information was available, including a brief history of the program, its stated purpose, how the program addresses producer