paid as well to the ethic value of agricultural raw products, produced by
using techniques contributing to the protection of the environment or
simply to the aesthetic value of spotless and perfect-looking fruits and
vegetables. Thus, partial utilities are generated by the various qualities
of products. As an example, take the different qualities of fruit juices.
Fruit juice may be offered as natural juice without additives or sugar or
with additional vitamins or with an exotic taste and as mixed and sin-
gle fruit juice. Similar examples can be found for primary agricultural
products such as the different varieties of tomatoes, asparagus and mush-
rooms available in markets.
For a consumer trying to maximize utility within a given budget, the
absence or presence of a specific quality characteristic is often decisive
for whether or not he chooses a product. Hence for producers supply-
ing primary agricultural goods as well as processed food to markets and
trying to maximize their profit, it is essential that the quality mix of the
offered products is targeted to the preferences of the group of consumers
envisaged.
Breeding for quality of fruit and vegetables implies that the resulting
varieties will enter the market as specific product variations and hence
have to meet special consumer requirements. As breeding is a long-term
process, knowledge of consumer preferences is even more essential as
the supplied qualities cannot be changed in the short run.
The Relevance of Quality Characteristics
Given the importance of quality, the question arises how quality can
be defined and specified. In general, quality can be described as fitness
for purpose (Simmonds, 1979). This understanding of quality includes
two components: the objectively given characteristics of a product and
the subjective perceptions of these characteristics by the consumer. The
latter in turn is determined by the consumer’s background of experience
and information as well as by declared preferences. As reported in the
literature, this leads to a variety of interpretations of quality (Brockmeier,
1993). For the scope of this chapter, the definition of quality follows the
concept of economically relevant quality components (Linde, 1977;
Rosen, 1974).
Products are not homogeneous but can be seen as bundles containing
different quantities of characteristics. The quantitative appearance of
these characteristics is objectively determined either through technical
processes or by natural conditions (Lancaster, 1979). The overall sum
Basic Principles 45