Two worlds in dispute: the official sanitary regulation and the interaction between the domestic convention and the industrial convention in the milk production chain in Maranhão

• Published in: Política & sociedade (Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil) Vol. 18; no. 43; pp. 162 - 191
• Main Authors: Marcelo Sampaio Carneiro, Evaristo José Lima Neto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 01.03.2020
• Subjects: economia das convenções; indústria do leite; qualidade
• ISSN: 1677-4140; 2175-7984
• DOI: 10.5007/2175-7984.2019v18n43p162

This paper discusses the process of establishing a standard of sanitary quality on the chain of production of cow milk in the Imperatriz/MA region, analyzing the dispute between two different ways of production, represented by the dairy industry and by informal cheese producers (the so-called queijeiras). The analysis uses as reference the perspective of the Economics of Conventions, a theoretical approach that considers the quality of the products as a social construct and a central element for the coordination of the actors involved in the process of production and circulation of goods and services. From this perspective, we show the constitution of two quality conventions in the production chain, identified as an industrial-type convention and a domestic-type convention, highlighting the dispute for milk producers, but also indicating the possibility of establishing some kinds of commitments between these two conventions.