THE ROLE OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Total Quality Management (TQM) plays a key role in ensuring sustainable development in the food industry. TQM is focused on continuous improvement of all company processes and employee involvement at all levels, which contributes to the creation of high-quality products and minimization of negative impact on the environment. One of the most important goals of TQM is the integration of sustainable practices, including efficient use of resources, waste reduction, optimization of production processes, and the use of environmentally friendly technologies. Implementation of TQM allows companies to control every stage of the production cycle, improve the supply chain, and ensure compliance with strict environmental standards. In addition to environmental benefits, TQM helps companies improve their competitiveness, strengthen their reputation in the marketplace, and increase customer satisfaction. Food companies that use TQM demonstrate improved efficiency, reduced production costs, and compliance with regulatory requirements for product safety and quality. Implementing TQM also helps to create a culture of sustainability within organizations. Employees are given the opportunity to participate in optimization and solution development processes, which helps to strengthen their commitment to corporate sustainability goals. Thus, integrated quality management is an important tool that not only helps improve production processes, but also promotes sustainable practices in the food industry. It allows companies to achieve a balance between the economic, environmental and social aspects of their activities, which is especially important in the context of modern challenges related to climate change and resource depletion. Keywords: food, industry, Total Quality Management, competition, production, sustainable, improvement