In the project, there are presented salami chains in different European countries: Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland. The purpose of this project is to describe salami chains and to make an overview of the kind of participants which are working together. Next aims are to present recent developments in every country, different business aspects like marketing, logistics, quality assurance, food safety and chain organization. The goal of this project is to introduce SWOT analysis, bottlenecks and success factors of the chosen chains. The whole project is divided into three main chapters in which are also depictured salami chains in Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland.

Pig sector is an intensive-farming sector. At most intensive is in Poland (64%) then in Hungary (13%) and at least the Netherlands with 9% of pig sector. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the country which belongs to the top 4 rank in export of pork. The strongest salami tradition among these countries is in Hungary as well as in the other Eastern European countries. However, this product becomes more favourite in Western European countries as borders are opened and people travel more. People’ preferences have been changing and people have started to demand healthy and safe food. Pig sector was among the first to introduce quality guarantees. The salami chain consists of many activities with long term result. Companies have to take care of food safety and high – quality of meat. If the company wants to retain its customers or gain more, it needs to promote its brand name and ensure safety of its products.
The chain in every of these compared countries is very similar. It is because participants are the same in every country and dominant leader is company. The participants have to cooperate very close. Having right information is also very important as we talk about food and safety. Differences can be seen in farming as in the Netherlands are mostly big pig farms and take more risk because of density and lack of land. The quality of meat is very high and control for quality and food safety is very well organized and developed. The consumers have been changing their preferences and starting to believe more meat products and discover new varieties of salamis. Hungary has market with a lot of faithful customers who buy salamis because of tradition and do not think much about safety. Quality is important for them as they can choose among many brands and varieties.
Introduction

Salami is kind of meat product which is very popular mostly in the Eastern European countries. It has a long tradition. Salami varies in every country. It has different shape, design and different ingredients are added. Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world, providing about 38 percent of daily meat protein intake worldwide, although consumption varies widely from place to place. According statistics released in 2003 for European Pig Populations indicate that the new member states enjoyed a 3% growth rate with Poland's population at over 18 million pigs (64%) and in Hungary 13%. Lower labour costs have been attributed to the growth of the pig populations. The pig population is 9% in the Netherlands. Consumers today demand high-quality products in various innovative forms through the entire year at competitive prices. The chain is characterized by a forward flow of goods and a backward flow of information. Quality and food safety are very important in this sector.
This report gives information about (pork) salami chain in three countries: Poland, Hungary and the Netherlands. These chains are different in every country because every country has its own food safety policy although some standards and regulations are the same because of united policy of the European Union. Every country has its own difficulties and strengths. The comparison of the chains is provided. This report gives some advices what could help to improve the cooperation among each part of the chain. It concentrates on main aspects like marketing, logistics, quality assurance, food safety and chain organization. There is also a description of the dominant leader and important development. Swot analysis gives clear overview of important aspects of the chain including description of bottlenecks and success factors.
This report is made for food chain management students who are interested in chain in different countries (Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands), in pork industry, salami and food safety or quality assurance.