Quality Guidance: A Consumer-Based Approach to Food Quality Improvement Using Partial Least Squares.

An effective quality enhancement programme must include consideration of those characteristics of the physical product which are important to targeted consumers. We present a conceptual model and methodology for the improvement of the physical food product based on the demands of the consumer. This so-called quality guidance approach takes consumers' quality judgements as the point of departure and relates them to the characteristics of the physical product. Partial Least Squares is used to estimate the relationships in our conceptual model of quality guidance. An empirical application is provided using blade steak. The results suggest that the quality guidance approach is conceptually sound and useful. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.