Food Distribution Efficiency in Eastern Europe

For the past forty years, food distribution research in Eastern Europe has been almost non-existent. This owes mainly to the Marxist/Leninist principle that distribution is needless and a social waste because it does not add value to the final product. When food distribution has been analyzed, inefficiencies have been based on food production or economic policy inadequacies. Few have analyzed the entire food chain. Since World War II, the pattern of development for all the East European countries has been similar despite each country beginning at a different stage of advancement. In most cases, large farms were nationalised and peasants forced into collectives. Other distribution channels were also nationalised. State wholesaling became particularly important in forcing private producers and retailers out of the system. The State interpreted society's food needs into a series of commands to the farms and food processors. Prices were set centrally, quality indices were rarely used. Wholesale and retail activities were confined to ensuring the physical distribution of food which was produced by State directives. The result has been that a limited range of low quality foodstuffs is produced, exported and imported. The food and agriculture sectors play an important part in all the East European countries generally ranking first or second in terms of output and employment. Since opening up to the West, the entire food distribution system has come under attack from foreign producers, wholesalers and retailers who are able to offer consumers a greater range of higher quality foods in a nicer atmosphere. Identifying specific competitive weaknesses in the food distribution system, then, is a major policy concern to all East European countries. This research, conducted on Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, exposes inefficiencies in food distribution. A descriptive analysis portrays the region being 20 to 30 years behind the West in distribution development. Further quantitative analysis, using consumer responses, confirms the qualitative findings. The quantitative analysis is unique in that it uncovers 5 factors which are perceived as meaningful in food distribution efficiency: processing, quality, cost, availability and retailing. Based on mean factor- scores-, an index- has been derived which is useful_ in making cross-cultural comparisons. By comparing the countries' mean factor scores to those of US and UK, efficiency gap& have been established in food. processing quality, cost and retailing.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

1994

Author dc:creator

• Mueller, Rene Dentiste

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/651619d6-0097-447c-a16e-c11db354193e/download