The Role of Knowledge in Constructing the Quality of Olive Oil in Spain

Abstract

The sustainability of a large proportion of Spanish olive oil-producing territories depends to a great extent on their capacity to fit into a specific model of food quality. The strategies used in the different territories differ with respect to their adherence to the objectifiable conception of quality, based on scientific-technical knowledge, or subjectivating conception of quality, based on tacit and practical knowledge. In this paper, we analyse the route taken by two territories with olive oil protected designation of origin (PDO) status in Spain to construct their quality model, the type of knowledge that has been applied and how knowledge processes affect the construction of sustainable quality models. This study applies a qualitative methodology based on participative observation and semi-structured interviews with key actors of the territories. The results indicate that processes of production, reproduction and dissemination of knowledge are basic pillars for the construction of sustainable quality projects. The degree of understanding of the objectifiable and subjectivating conception of quality in olive-producing territories and the interaction between them depend on the specific characteristics of the territory, the objectives set in connection to the olive oil quality method, the importance given to the different types of knowledge, and its standing on the issue of territorial sustainability.

Trust and Food Quality in the Valorisation of Geographical Indication Initiatives

“…[74]-, experience of consumption [54], image of the firms [75,76], and, as regards the present work, to the initiative to valorise origin products through GIs [16,77,78]. Although, as previously stated, agri-food quality is a very broad concept that moves between that which is measurable and that which is symbolic [7,71]. Two apparently opposing notions that intertwine, complement each other and link together both in the producers' strategies to market an agri-food product and in the consumers' practices to acquire it.…”

“…Most of this discourse on GIs focus the information of their products on the differentiation of its "territorial quality" [5,21]. This information comes from expert technical committees or from governmental institutions that produce rules and regulations that intend to increase added value [7,22]. They assure some sort of quality in the eyes of consumers, graphically condensing such information in a logo or in the labelling that intends to make it distinguishable amongst the wide variety of marketed products [15,23,24].…”

“…activities that support a particular system). The study of the variable food quality may be guided from various logics depending on the socio-political context, framework, categories of analyses, and sort of stakeholders involved [4][5][6][7]. Moreover, the classification of qualities-linked or not to geographical indications (GIs) initiatives-is not standard, but changes among regions, which adds to its own heterogeneity.…”

“…While for consumers their desire to buy and their constructed perception of quality predominates, for producers it is the efficiency and the improvement of production costs that prevails [10]. The ability of producers to transfer tangible and intangible information to all consumers is crucial [7].…”

A Social Analysis of the Olive Oil Sector: The Role of Family Business

“…In the first step of our investigation, we carried out a survey involving 500 consumers of different ages and levels of education ( Figure 2). This number of interviewees is adequate for the analysis of this sector and aligned with earlier studies conducted in Spain [62]. Consumers were approached during their experience in the OOMs with the aim of conducting a face to face interview (hence, interviewees were selected on the base of a convenience sampling [63]).…”