Comparison of selection criteria of suppliers at different levels in fresh fruit and vegetables industry

Abstract

All elements in the supply chain, from the field to the delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables to the consumer, are of great importance to humanity. Different decision makers occur in the supply chain of delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to consumers in our country and the world. Considering the situation in our country, there are steps to deliver the products from the field to the wholesale markets, from the wholesale markets to the markets/grocers and from the markets/grocers to the consumers in the process from the production to the consumer. In this study, the wholesale markets brokers, market/grocery managers and consumers who have a say in the supply of fresh fruit and vegetable products, product selection approaches in the fields, selection approaches in wholesale markets and selection approaches in the grocery stores were investigated, respectively. It is aimed to determine the most important criteria in the supplier selection for each supply channel examined. Within the scope of the study, the wholesale markets brokers in the province of Denizli, domestic and national markets operating in the province and consumers living in different regions in the province are evaluated on quality, price, delivery, service, main product criteria and sub-expansions of these main criteria. AHP and TOPSIS methods were used to find important criteria in the election decisions of the suppliers at different levels, to select the most appropriate supplier and to compare the results. When the results obtained are examined, it is seen that the perspectives of the decision-makers other than consumers in the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain are far from consumer expectations.