Lean thinking and Industry 4.0 competitiveness strategy: Sustainable food supply chain in the European Union

There is evidence local farming systems and short supply chains have more impact on local economies than on long supply chains and have significant impacts on sustaining local employment in rural areas. Short supply chains focus on meeting consumer demands for local products in a guaranteed manner, strengthen local economies, improve carbon footprint, and contribute to food safety, access to natural and healthy nutrition, and sustainability of small producers and their businesses. In this research, case study and interview methods have been applied to evaluate environmental, social, and economic risks for short food supply chain. This chapter reveals decision-making process through accounting in a more regular, consistent, and integrated way by including environmental and economic information which aims to balance human and environmental needs within the framework of the European Union Short Food Supply Chain Policy.

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Quantification of food waste per product group along the food supply chain in the European Union: a mass flow analysis

Resources Conservation and Recycling ◽

10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.06.011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

pp. 479-488 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Carla Caldeira ◽

Valeria De Laurentiis ◽

Sara Corrado ◽

Freija van Holsteijn ◽

Serenella Sala

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Mass Flow ◽

Food Waste ◽

Food Supply ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

The European Union ◽

Food Supply Chain ◽

Product Group

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Exploring Sustainable Aspects regarding the Food Supply Chain, Agri-Food Quality Standards, and Global Trade: An Empirical Study among Experts from the European Union and the United States

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14185987 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (18) ◽

pp. 5987

Author(s):

Katja Pietrzyck ◽

Sebastian Jarzębowski ◽

Brigitte Petersen

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

European Union ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Trade Policy ◽

Food Quality ◽

Food Supply ◽

Quality Standards ◽

The United States ◽

The European Union ◽

Food Supply Chain

Sustainability is increasingly a priority in the policies of the European Union, especially in the Common Agricultural Policy. This paper focuses on Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, and the Farm to Fork Strategy in an attempt to establish a relationship with the European Union’s trade policy. Three selected components of the agri-food sector—the food supply chain, agri-food quality standards, and global trade—are examined in relation to defined sustainability aspects. The aim is to understand the interrelationship between the three components with specific regard to sustainability, to highlight their high complexity and current relevance, to contribute to systematic analysis in this area, and to present current progress. This qualitative‒explorative study is empirically supported by a survey of market experts, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States is used as an example. The results show the complexity between the relationships of the three components with a focus on sustainability and reveal a deep uncertainty. The most notable results are the limited level of knowledge and the insufficient attention from business representatives to sustainability aspects. Finally, the study identifies the state of integrating a sustainable perspective into European Union trade policy and provides suggestions for further research.

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Sustainable Food Logistics Systems

The Oxford Handbook of Supply Chain Management ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190066727.013.26 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zhaohui Wu ◽

Madeleine Elinor Pullman

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Food Supply ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

New Technology ◽

Cold Chain ◽

Community Supported Agriculture ◽

Food Supply Chain ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Chain Management

Food supply chain management is becoming a critical management and public policy agenda. Climate change, growing demand, and shifting patterns of food production, delivery, and consumption have elicited a series of new challenges, such as food security, safety, and system resiliency. This chapter first introduces the typical players in a food supply chain and examines the global food system characterized by consolidation and industrialization. It then discusses some critical topics of the sustainable food supply chain that aim to address these challenges. These topics include traceability, transparency, certification and standards, and alternatives to industrialized food systems, including cooperatives, community-supported agriculture, and roles of small and medium-sized growers in regenerative agriculture. The chapter ends with a discussion of several important emerging logistics management topics, including last-mile delivery, new technology, and cold chain management.

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