Large Scale Retailers and Diffusion in the Agri-Food System of the ISO 9000 Certified Quality Management System

This paper reports the initial results of a research program examining the relationship between large retail chains and the certification of quality management systems. The aim is to analyze the role of large retail firms in the development of the ISO 9000 standard model of Quality Management System (QMS) in the agri-food environment, through the pressure exerted by the retailer on its suppliers.