A Review on Quantitative Models for Sustainable Food Logistics Management

The need to further improve food quality and reduce food waste leads to increased attention for the development of Food Supply Chain Management (FSCM), which considers intrinsic characteristics of food supply chains besides traditional supply chain management (SCM) objectives such as cost and responsiveness. Growing consciousness of society towards sustainable development brings additional objectives to the food supply chains and the fast evolution of sustainable development results in the development of a new fast-growing concept: Sustainable Food Supply Chain Management (SFSCM). In response to these developments, researchers have developed various decision support tools that can be used for handling progressively increasing complexity along the alteration process from SCM to FSCM and now to SFSCM. In this study, we have reviewed literature on sustainable food logistics management to identify logistical key issues and relevant quantitative modelling challenges. The evaluation of the reviewed papers shows that towards obtaining sustainability together with considering intrinsic characteristics of food supply chains, there is a gap between the needs of the practice and the current available methods. In this study, we have also presented improvement opportunities for future developed models by revealing the aforementioned missing points.

With the uncontrollable growth of world population, in some parts of the world, millions of people are at the risk of hunger while in certain countries there is a significant waste of food. This imbalance in the global food supply chain increasingly demands sustainable management to “end hunger,” as envisaged in the sustainable development goals. Considering the importance of food supply chains, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of sustainable food supply chain management and to propose an integrated framework. With this objective, the chapter provides an overview of sustainable development and the importance of food supply chain management to address the global food crisis. It also provides an overview of the theoretical background of sustainable food supply chains. The chapter also presents an integrated framework for sustainable food supply chain management by extending prior work on the subject. In every section, carefully selected mini cases are provided to bring in more insights into the points/arguments mentioned therein.

The supply chain network is one of the most important areas of focus in the majority of business circumstances. Blockchain technology is a feasible choice for secure information sharing in a supply chain network. Despite the fact that maintaining security at all levels of the blockchain is difficult, cryptographic methods are commonly used in existing works. Effective supply chain management (SCM) offers various benefits to organizations, such as enhanced customer satisfaction, increased operational efficiency, competitive advantage, and cost reduction. Potential SCM for agricultural and food supply chains needs distributors, coordination and collaboration among farmers, retailers, and stakeholders. The use of technology like Block Chain (BC), sensors, and data analytics, can boost traceability and visibility, decrease waste, and ensure safety and quality throughout the supply chain. Therefore, this study develops a Hunger Games Search Optimization with Deep Learning Model for Sustainable agricultural and food Supply Chain Management (HGSODL-ASCM) technique. The fundamental goal of the HGSODL-ASCM technique is to improve decision-making processes for agricultural and food commodity production and storage in order to optimise revenue. In the provided HGSODL-ASCM technique, a bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) model is built to determine the amount of productivity and storage required to maximise profit. In order to boost the performance of the Bi-LSTM classification process, the HGSO algorithm has been utilized in this work. The presented HGSODL-ASCM technique can independently achieve the SCM policies via interaction with complicated and adaptive environments. A brief set of simulations were performed to ensure the improved performance of the HGSODL-ASCM technique. The simulation results demonstrated how superior the HGSODL-ASCM method is to other methods already in use.

PurposeThere is limited knowledge of the sustainable halal food supply management in Brunei Darussalam (Brunei), although it is reputable in the halal economy and advocates the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this paper highlights issues faced in a small, rentier halal market and proposes sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) initiatives for halal-certified food companies in Brunei.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws data from published academic research and employs a normative and narrative assessment of SSCM and halal supply chain literature.FindingsFour normative SSCM initiatives and propositions that could be implemented by Brunei halal-certified food businesses in achieving the SDGs are highlighted: responsible sourcing, environmental purchasing, sustainable packaging and green transportation.Practical implicationsThis viewpoint paper provides a basis for achieving the “Brunei Vision 2035” through a sustainable supply chain lens that may increase well-being and develop a productive and sustainable economy. It also lays a foundation for realising the SDGs, specifically Goal 12 of Sustainable Consumption and Production.Originality/valueThe dedicated attention to smaller halal markets, such as Brunei, would enrich the literature, reveal unforeseen issues or address gaps in the domains of SSCM and halal food supply chains.

The food supply chain includes all activities from the transformation of inputs to the creation of the final product and its consumption, that is, all activities from the farm to the retail shelf. With the increase in complexity, actors in food supply chains face greater risks in the market so they must follow the latest trends and changes in the food market, and react quickly to challenges. In addition to economic, food supply chain management faces sustainability challenges as well. Instead of focusing only on their own growth and expansion, actors in food supply chains must consider how their business affect the environment and the interests of their communities. On the other side, consumers demand realtime updated information on food they consume and they want to know if the food they are consuming is environmentally and socially sustainable or not. For this reason food product traceability, safety and sustainability issues have become a crucial concern to food retailers and everyone else in the food supply chain. The aim of this paper is to point out digitalization as a solution to those issues. Particularly blockchain as an emerging transformative technology for supply chain management. Secondary data and methods of induction, deduction, synthesis ana analysis were used for the purpose of writing this paper.

Increasing product demands, environmental aspects and overpopulation have an impact on the sustainability of a supply chain, especially in the food sector. In a food supply chain from production to consumption, there are many parameters (resources, packaging, waste management etc.) that need to be taken into account for sustainability. The aim of this study is to determine the parameters affecting sustainable food supply chain management for the food sector and to measure the performance of the parameters along the supply chain. In this study, several performance indices are defined and sub-criteria by reviewing the previously discussed indices in the literature and accounting for expert opinions on the sustainable food supply chain. The parameters are explained as customer satisfaction, resource utilization, safety of products, innovation, reliability, company information, packaging, waste management dimensions that should be improved in sustainable food supply chain management. Performance score for each dimension is calculated with Structural Equation Modeling and Analytic Hierarchy Process. As a result of the sustainable food supply chain performance evaluation made in the food sector in Turkey it is determined to be 79,7 out of 100. The results of this study include feedbacks on parameters in the food chain from agriculture to consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of food safety level on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and firm performance of the core firm of the food industry in China and we used data from 372 companies in the Chinese food supply chain for our research. Key informants evaluate their companies based on SSCM practices. The results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that SSCM practices are very important for the food firms, since they can improve the food safety level and further enhance the firms' economic, environmental, and social performances. The authors also found out that the food safety mediates the relationship between SSCM practices and environmental and social performance, and that if a food firm wants to make SSCM practices impact on the economic performance, it must pay attention to the responsibility for food safety in the internal SSCM practices. A comprehensive SSCM practices and firm performance model done empirically in food firms is proposed in conjunction with the mediating role of food safety level in this paper to provide new ideas and management methods for Chinese food firms to develop more effective food safety management.

The importance of sustainable food supply chain management is to overcome the wastage in food manufacturing industries. It benefits the industries to minimize the stress demand of food. The aim of current work is to assess success factors related to the successful implementation of sustainable food supply chain management. On the basis of the literature survey, ten success factors were identified and analyzed with the help of decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. DEMATEL technique is useful for the interrelation of success factors among them and then divides it into cause and effect for the further investigation. According to the present research, food quality and safety was attributed the highest importance among other success factors for the successful adoption of sustainable food supply chain management initiatives. Present work helps managers and higher authorities in the industries for devising long-term decision policies in effective managing sustainable food supply chain management implementation.

As the food supply chain (FSC) is facing new challenges such as climate change, fair trade, food waste (FW) and food security, increasing consumer awareness, and governmental regulations, it is becoming a necessity to consider ways to produce, process, distribute and consume food more sustainably. These changes in FSC have led to the development of the trending concept: Sustainable Food Supply Chain Management (SFSCM). In this study, we develop integrated FW assessment and network models that improve the FSC responsiveness and leverage the social, environmental, and economic implications of sustainability, simultaneously. First, while existing literature reviews in SFSCM only consider the forward FSC, we present in this study a comprehensive analysis of recent research directions in the closed-loop SFSCM with a focus on the design and planning of sustainable models in the food sector. We first develop a general structure of a closed-loop SFSC that demonstrates the reverse logistics operations and FW recovery options. Then, we conducted a thorough literature review in the areas of reverse logistics, closed-loop, and sustainability in the FSC. Second, the animal and plant-based FW valorization alternatives are evaluated from a sustainability perspective. Using FW characteristics, we estimate the sustainable benefits such as food security, reduced human toxicity, energy utilization, and GHG emission reduction for each FW processing technique. We formulate the FW network as a strategic linear programming (LP) and weighted goal programming models. We test the efficiency of the proposed framework by designing a sustainable FW treatment network for the state of Massachusetts, USA. Results show that with a marginal increase in the treatment cost of FW, the model achieved zero net emissions, zero net energy use, and a competitive sustainability impact. Lastly, we study the sustainable impact of animal and plant-based food surplus donation activities through food banks. The goal is to determine the optimal number and location of the distribution centers. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is formulated and by solving the model for different budget constraints, we identify the distribution centers by which the responsiveness of the system is increased. Finally, we propose future research trends.--Author's abstract

Sustainable food supply chain management

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to present research trends in the food supply chain in the context of changes in food systems due to globalization, urbanization, environmental concerns, technological changes and changes in food consumption patterns in the world.Design/methodology/approachThe present investigation was performed by bibliometric analysis using the VOSviewer software, visualization software developed by Nees and Waltman (2020). In this work we performed co-citation, bibliographic coupling and keyword evolution analyses.FindingsThe results show that research in the food supply chain is rapidly changing and growing. By applying co-citation analysis, The authors found that the intellectual structure of the food supply chain has evolved around six clusters, namely, (a) collaboration and integration in the supply chain (b) sustainable supply chain management, (c) food supply chain management (FSCM), (d) models for decision-making in the food supply chain, (e) risk management in the supply chain and (g) quality and food logistics in the supply chain. However, based on bibliographic coupling analysis, The authors find that new or emerging research niches are moving toward food supply market access, innovation and technology, food waste management and halal FSCM. Nevertheless, the authors found that the existing research in each of the thematic clusters is not exhaustive.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of the research is that the analysis mainly relates only to the bibliometric approach and only one database, namely, Scopus. Broader inclusion of databases and deeper application of content analysis could expand the results of this research.Originality/valueThere are limited studies that have examined research trends in food supply chains in both developed and developing countries using bibliometric analysis. The present investigation is novel in identifying the thematic research clusters in the food supply chain, emerging issues and likely future research directions. This is important given the dynamics, consumer demand for quality food, technological changes and environmental sustainability issues in food systems.

IT success factors in sustainable food supply chain management

Purpose This paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of the impact of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices on sustainable performance and the further impact of sustainable performance on food safety assurance in Chinese food firms. The paper also aims to provide a new way to avoid the occurrence of food safety problems from the perspective of SSCM and so help food firms to achieve sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach This paper developed a conceptual model to investigate the impact of food firms SSCM practices on the firm performances while firm performances on food safety assurance. The primary data were collected from 162 Chinese food firms. The research models were tested using structural equation modeling on PLS smart 3.0. Findings The results show that SSCM practices have a positive impact on firm environmental performance and social performances. The environmental and social performance positively related to financial performance. Moreover, the sustainable performance positively affects the food safety assurance. Research limitations/implications Our results suggest that SSCM practices have a positive impact on a firm’s environmental and social performance, which in turn improves financial performance. Moreover, sustainable performance positively affects food safety assurance. Originality/value An SSCM practices model is proposed to empirically evaluate Chinese food firms. The results of this investigation support the hypotheses that SSCM practices are environmentally and socially friendly and are good to business, and the food safety assurance can be promoted by a food firm’s sustainability performance. We carried out a survey and research of SSCM in food industry and gave insights to food safety management.

Background: The food industry faces longstanding challenges in meeting sustainability practices within its supply chain, often prioritising commercial obligations and profit motives. However, there is a growing recognition of the critical role that sustainable food supply chain management (SFSCM) practices play in enhancing food security.Objectives: This study aims to establish the significance of SFSCM practices in enhancing food security. Furthermore, the study explores approaches to reduce challenges against implementation of SFSCM practices.Method: The study employed a qualitative approach and used stratified and purposive sampling techniques to interview 22 participants from a population of 9 gatekeeper institutions within the Zimbabwean food industry.Results: The findings highlighted several essential SFSCM practices covering waste management, logistics optimisation, water and energy conservation, employing qualified individuals, carbon emission reduction, corporate social responsibility, cost reduction, pricing efficiency, fair food distribution and continuous consumer taste surveys. Approaches to reduce SFSCM implementation challenges were also identified, and these include stakeholder communication plans, capacity building programmes, integrating sustainability into mission statements, budget allocation, lobbying for government support, and fostering collaborative engagements. Open information sharing was also emphasised.Conclusion: It is concluded that the adoption of identified SFSCM practices by food producers, intermediaries, suppliers, consumers and other stakeholders can significantly enhance food security and minimise hunger in nations.Contribution: This article contributes to the understanding of addressing SFSCM implementation challenges and provides valuable insights into the importance of sustainable practices in improving food security within the Zimbabwean food industry and the world at large.

The demand of food is increasing day by day, innovative agricultural practices and sustainable food supply chain management (SFSCM) has gained an emergent importance. Food industries across the globe mainly focus on the manufacturing of their own products to achieve sustainability. The importance of sustainable food supply chain management is to overcome the wastage in food manufacturing industries. In the present research, we identified eleven challenges in the SFSCM on the basis of literature review and expert opinion. The approach is an integration of fuzzy with DEMATEL which can be used for dividing the challenges into cause and effect group. Fuzzy DEMATEL method has continuously been used for the analysis of challenges and is the novel approach for decision making. Thus, this method can be implemented in many fields including automobiles, food industries, retail market etc. From the fuzzy DEMATEL results, it can be confirmed that the Safety and Security is one of the most influencing challenge and has the strongest association with other challenges.