Annals of „Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University – Economy, Commerce and Tourism Series Volume II/2010 82 Considerations on the Definition of Food Quality on the EU Market Alexandru Burda „Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University Faculty of Touristic and Commercial Management, Bucharest, Romania Email: alexandru.burda@gmail.com Abstract Quality on the EU food market today is a complex concept with a multifold approach. It is defined in terms of the interests of those who use it in order to attain their market goals, i.e. consumer satisfaction, economic interests or food safety and of the interest in having a market that functions according to complex yet clear and balanced regulations. The new context in which the European Union scientifically and economically places food quality urges Romania as one of the youngest members of the EU economic system to get acquainted to mutations that have occurred in this sector and to find means to actively adapt to them at the level of both authorities and market players. Keywords: quality, demand, consumption, integration, food, European Union. JEL Classification: A14 1. Introduction Considering the mutations that have occurred in the definition and practical approach of the concept of quality, we can currently consider that the European Union, in its pre-2004 structure, is a unique example of what one can accomplish when seeks to solve a complex problem such as food, especially in terms of meeting quantitative and qualitative needs. The implications of the solution paths are particularly relevant and can be deemed exceptional: to create a society in which satisfying basic needs is no longer the main purpose of economic and social activities, but rather satisfying higher order needs (safety, belonging, acknowledgment, self-improvement) by associating the latter with the first. The changes that occurred in reference to the quality of agro-food products actually mirror this social reality of the EU’s developed countries. The solution found to existing problems was far from perfect, as shown by the reforms applied to EU agricultural policies and food crises in the last 25 years. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that it has achieved the set goal. Neither does it change the performance that it represents in the agro-food sector as well as in an integrated market comprised of several national markets of countries that not so long ago used to be in a permanent state of economic rivalry and deep food crisis. Therefore, the European Union is a unique and particular example for other countries that seek to solve the food issue, be they new entries, candidates or non-EU states.