Changes in the Organisation of Food Marketing Systems in South East Asia: A Preliminary Assessment

This paper reviews the literature on fresh food marketing systems in South East Asia and

proposes a conceptual framework for their study, as part of a research project on the role of

wholesale markets in Vietnamese fresh food urban supply chains. The literature review

discusses conceptual frameworks for studies on food marketing systems in a developing

country context, which reveals a lack of consideration of socio-cultural issues amongst the

environmental factors that impact on food marketing systems. Elements such as trust and

consumption habits in food marketing systems are discussed. An integrated framework is

proposed, including what are perceived as critical factors in the understanding of existing

food marketing systems in Vietnam: product characteristics, stakeholder interests, the impact

of environmental factors on the food supply chains and particularly those of informal

institutions arising from socio-cultural factors specific to the study area