Adaptation of the Delphi technique for electronic application in the food industry

Abstract

Researchers often depend on humans to share their opinions, perceptions, experiences, or expertise concerning particular matters, which is a daunting task. As the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) continues to change the way we do things, electronic data collection is becoming a more viable alternative considering consumers' increased competence with modern technology. An electronic application of the Delphi technique that originated as a face-to-face or 'pen-and-paper' research technique is hereby presented as an up-to-date methodology and data collection tool that potentially holds many advantages across diverse disciplines. In the very dynamic foods and hospitality industry, where employment entails long and unconventional working hours, it is particularly challenging to pin employees down to participate in traditional data collection procedures where they are expected to complete tasks at specific times. An electronic application of the Delphi technique offers employees the opportunity to make valuable contributions to research in their own time and at their own pace. This paper reports on a successful electronic application of a classic Delphi procedure, involving South African food industry specialists, reflecting on the local context, aiming to optimize their expertise to elicit a context-specific definition for Food Literacy with all the associated dimensions.