International Quality Standards - A Seller's Perspective

摘要

New buyers of wheat on the international market are currently faced with a dilemma. Whilst all of the traditional exporters provide detailed analyses of their popular grades of wheat, either in the form of a glossy crop report, or a preliminary analysis soon after their new crop is harvested, that is where the buyer's problems begin. Firstly, moisture content is an important quality factor that can vary by as much as 6% between suppliers. To be able to meaningfully compare parcels of wheat, one has to express the key parameters such as protein content on a fixed moisture basis, and currently none can agree on a common figure. Most suppliers tend to adopt a figure that is common for their wheat, whereas the Europeans will often express data on a drybasis, which at least allows meaningful comparisons to be made. The assessment of dough properties is also a challenge for the new buyer, with a number of instruments being employed, all with their strengths and limitations, and all requiring the readerto have a great deal of experience in order to gain meaningful information. End-product colour is vital for many Asian foods, and yet some suppliers fail to provide any useful data. Finally we have the new players in the game, such as India, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine, all of which have an opportunity to assist or confuse the new buyer. A common set of internationally accepted quality standards that address all of the key quality parameters in a fair and reasonable manner would be of great assistance.