Our Food Supply

2021 ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Michael P. Hoffmann ◽  
Carrie Koplinka-Loehr ◽  
Danielle L. Eiseman
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Consumer Spending ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Tree Nuts ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Right

This chapter describes where the food we love and need comes from and how it gets to our table. The fresh vegetables we enjoy may come from a local farmers market, the grapes from California, tree nuts from Vietnam, coffee from Brazil, spices from India, and fish from the Bering Sea, to name a few. This global interconnected and interdependent food system that feeds us also provides 40 per cent of global employment and accounts for 10 per cent of consumer spending. But it faces increasing risks from a changing climate. With a global view of the food system as a foundation, the chapter then considers how the many changes in the climate are affecting plants, the basis of life. Plants require the right temperatures, water, soil, air, and sunlight. All of these requirements except sunlight are changing, with subtle to profound implications. The air now has more of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which means that most plants will grow faster and bigger, but any benefit will be offset by stress from increasing heat and drought. The chapter also looks at how the changing climate affects pests, pollinators, and the food supply chain.

Sustainable Food Logistics Systems

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.

Supply chain issues in SME food sector: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Jose ◽  
PrasannaVenkatesan Shanmugam
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Themes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significant supply chain issues in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) food industry. The objectives are to identify the major themes and the dynamic evolution of SME food supply chain (FSC) issues, the current research trends, the different modelling approaches used in SME FSC, and the most addressed SME food sector. Design/methodology/approach In all, 3,733 published articles from 2002 to 2018 in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database were collected, from which 1,091 articles were shortlisted for the review. The authors used bibliographic coupling combined with co-word analysis to identify the historical relations of the research themes that emerged during the periods 2002–2014 and 2002–2018. Findings This research identified five major research themes such as production and distribution in alternative food networks, relationship, safety and standards in the FSC, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impact of the farm food system, traceability and product quality in FSC and asymmetric price transmission in the FSC. Among the identified themes, GHG emission impact of the farm food system and traceability and product quality in the FSC have received increasing attention in recent years. The dairy sector is the most addressed sector (36 per cent), followed by fruits and vegetables (27 per cent), meat and poultry (18 per cent), seafood (10 per cent) and grains and oilseed (8 per cent). It is also identified that the dairy sector has received significant attention in the “GHG Emission impact of farm food system” theme. Similarly, meat and poultry sectors have received much attention in the “Traceability and product quality in the food supply chain” theme. Also, the authors identified that the empirical modelling approaches are the most commonly used solution methodology, followed by the conceptual/qualitative methods in the SME FSC. Originality/value This study maps and summarizes the existing knowledge base of supply chain issues in the SME food sector. The results of this review provide the major research areas, most commonly used approaches and food sectors addressed. This study also highlights the research gaps and potential future research direction.

scholarly journals Quantities and Quantification Methodologies of Food Waste in Swedish Hospitals

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Eriksson ◽  
Christopher Malefors ◽  
Pauline Bergström ◽  
Emelie Eriksson ◽  
Christine Persson Osowski
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Regional Authorities ◽  
Sustainable Food System

To move towards a sustainable food system, we cannot continue to waste substantial amounts of the food produced. This is especially true for later stages in the food supply chain, where most sub-processes consume resources in vain when food is wasted. Hospitals are located at the end of the food supply chain and the sector has high levels of food waste. This study investigated food waste quantification practices in Swedish hospitals, examined whether a questionnaire is an appropriate methodology for such mapping, and compiled data for the sector in order to determine the amount of food waste and its composition. A questionnaire was sent to all 21 regional authorities, formerly known as county councils, responsible for hospitals in Sweden. The questionnaire responses were supplemented with food waste records from three regions that organize the catering in a total of 20 hospitals. The results showed that it is common practice in most hospitals to quantify food waste, with quantification focusing on lunch and dinner in relation to the number of guests served. It was also clear that waste quantification practices have been established for years, and in the majority of the hospitals studied. The data revealed that, in comparison with other sectors, food waste was still high, 111 g guest−1 meal−1, consisting of 42% plate waste, 36% serving waste, and 22% kitchen waste. However, there was great variation between hospitals, which, in combination with well-established, standardized waste quantification routines, meaning that this sector has strong potential to spread best practices and improve overall performance in reducing food waste generation.

scholarly journals A Year following the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Existing Challenges and Ways the Food Industry Has Been Impacted

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2389
Author(s):  
Márcio Vargas-Ramella ◽  
José M. Lorenzo ◽  
Benjamin M. Bohrer ◽  
Mirian Pateiro ◽  
Jesús J. Cantalapiedra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant impacts for nearly all industrial and societal sectors in the world. As closures and social distancing mandates were implemented to help control the spread of the novel coronavirus designated as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the food industry was immensely affected. This review explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food supply chain from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint and provides perspectives on the consequences on food safety and food security, a risk assessment on human–animal interactions, and considers logistical/protocol adjustments required for the food industry. While foodborne transmission of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is not a significant factor for food safety as direct transmission of the virus through food products is not evident, food security has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic threatens food accessibility, especially for vulnerable populations of people, through its effects on food cost and infrastructure, food distribution and public transit access, and social inequities. Currently, global interest for COVID-19 is focused on human health and rightfully so, but adverse effects on the food supply chain are already evident and will likely continue to occur for several years after the pandemic is over, let alone if other global health pandemics of this magnitude surface in upcoming years. Uncertainties over the novel coronavirus have interrupted global trade and supply chains. The pandemic has underlined the importance of a robust and resilient food system, which presents an unprecedented challenge for competent authorities in upcoming years.

scholarly journals Circular and Lean Food Supply Chains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Despoudi
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Supply Chain Design ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Industrial Economy ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
Lean Operations

Circular economy (CE) refers to the industrial economy that aims to achieve enriched sustainability through restorative objects and supply chain design. Many governments have put in place different initiatives in line with the CE. On the other hand, the term Lean operations refers to the reduction of the non-value adding activities and waste in a supply chain. The food sector has been criticized for its sustainability and circularity due to the high levels of food and packaging waste and at the same time the increasing costs. Although food supply chain entities have started to implement circular economy and lean practices, the current efforts do not seem to be sufficient to achieve a circular and lean food system. The aim of this chapter is to explore the possibility of a circular and at the same lean food supply chain.

scholarly journals Managing a Sustainable and Resilient Perishable Food Supply Chain (PFSC) after an Outbreak

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Zhu ◽  
Harold Krikke
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Loosely Coupled ◽  
The Right

It is a challenging task to manage a perishable food supply chain (PFSC), due to the product’s short lifetime and to demand uncertainty. Even worse is the fact that, because of the multitude of participating stakeholders in production, distribution, and retailing, the PFSC becomes complex and thus particularly vulnerable to crises. Product shortages that result from an outbreak like COVID-19 often cause customers to seek alternative sources of supply, possibly with a larger purchasing amount (i.e., hoarding), leading to even severer demand uncertainty after the shortage period. To manage a sustainable and resilient PFSC after an outbreak, supply chain partners need to share and use the right information to facilitate decision making. A system dynamics simulation was thus applied to study a cheese supply chain with three tiers. Three scenarios that cause product shortages were simulated. Seven balanced feedback loops and two reinforced feedback loops were identified from the simulation model. Through the feedback loop dominance analysis, we identified four dominant loops that facilitate the generation of endogenous demand. In order to alleviate the negative influence of endogenous demand, it is suggested that the information sharing that causes endogenous demand be stopped and a loosely coupled strategy to support decision making utilized.

scholarly journals Food Losses and Waste: A Needed Assessment for Future Policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11586
Author(s):  
Pilar Campoy-Muñoz ◽  
Manuel Alejandro Cardenete ◽  
María del Carmen Delgado ◽  
Ferran Sancho
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Food Losses ◽  
The Impact

About one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. For this reason, food losses and waste has become a key priority within worldwide policy circles. This is a major global issue that not only threatens the viability of a sustainable food system but also generates negative externalities in environmental terms. The avoidance of this forbidding wastage would have a positive economic impact on national economies in terms of resource savings. In this paper we look beyond this somewhat traditional resource savings angle and we shift the focus to explore the distributional consequences of food losses and waste reduction using a resource constrained modeling perspective. The impact due to the behavioral shift of each household is therefore explained by two factors. One is the amount of resources saved when the behavioral shift takes place, whereas the other one has to do with the position of households in the food supply chain. By considering the whole supply chain, instead of the common approach based only in reducing waste by consumers, we enrich the empirical knowledge of this issue and improve the quantification of its economic impact. We examine data for three EU countries that present different economic structures (Germany, Spain and Poland) so as to have a broader and more robust viewpoint of the potential results. We find that distributional effects are different for consumers and producers and also across countries. Our results could be useful for policymakers since they indicate that policies should not be driven merely by the size waste but rather on its position within the food supply chain.

scholarly journals Towards Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector. A Systematic Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetta Esposito ◽  
Maria Rosaria Sessa ◽  
Daniela Sica ◽  
Ornella Malandrino
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Food Supply Chain

Over the last decade, the unsustainability of the current economic model, based on the so-called take-make-dispose paradigm, has emerged. In particular, the agro-food sector (AFS) has been severely affected by such problems as resource scarcity and food loss and waste generation along the supply chain. In addition, climate change and biodiversity loss have helped to define an imperative paradigm shift towards a circular economy. Recently, with the publication of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the scientific research examining the adoption of circular economy (CE) models and tools has increased. In this context, the importance of shifting towards a circular economy has become urgent. In this paper, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed to investigate the state-of-the-art research related to the adoption of circular economy models and tools along the agro-food supply chain. Furthermore, this review highlights that, due to the complexity of the agri-food supply chain, it is almost utopian to define a unique circular economy model for the whole sector. In addition, it emerges that future researches should be concentrated on the integration of different stages of the supply chain with circular economy models and tools in order to create a closed-loop agri-food system.

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