The Social Representations About The Quality Of Agroindustrial Product By Dairy Farmers From Zona Da Mata Mineira

Abstract

This paper is to analyze the social representations of the dairy farmers that are organized in two community dairy tanks in the municipality of São Miguel do Anta, located in Zona da Mata mineira, about the quality of doce de leite that results from the agroindustrial process for whose production chain are suppliers. In this perspective, as a product of animal origin, the doce de leite needs to follow legal parameters that assure the quality and a clear perception of the producers who supply the raw material about these attributes that involve this notion of standardized quality is essential. It is a study of a qualitative approach, based in in loco observations and semi - structured interviews conducted with 10 dairy farmers based on the approaches of Social Representations Theory and the Theory of Conventions. The results show that the dairy farmers socially construct a set of meanings that permeate the concept of the doce de leite, based on the hygienic practices established in the handling of raw milk. However, they partially follow these parameters, partly because they do not understand, but also because they stick to ways of producing that do not necessarily take into account such norms. In this sense, the normative aspects influence perceptions about the quality of doce de leite, as well as change social relations, production practices and notions of quality traditionally developed by producers about their own products, but do not totally overlap the experiences of each producer in the activity.