Building a Sustainable Food Supply Chain and Managing Food Losses

With the unprecedented growth in the world's population, the supply of food has already become a major global challenge. The world food crisis highlights a large quantity of food going waste or lost due to many unsustainable practices in the food supply chain. This chapter provides a conceptual model to build a sustainable food supply chain while minimizing the food waste that occurs at different stages. By incorporating stakeholder management and other behavioral aspects while at the same time following a continuous improvement cycle, the model deviates from other techno-oriented or fragmented guidelines available on the subject. For the purpose of better understanding or providing practical applications, real-life case studies are also presented. Hence, the model provides useful guidelines for business organizations and other actors in the food supply chain to incorporate sustainability while minimizing environmental, social, and economic impacts of food losses/waste.

Food and nutrition security has been neglected in the planning field for reasons of a lack of connection between food and planning and the perception that agricultural activities have no place in the modernizing world. However, considering increasing climate change impacts and implications on industrialized agriculture, there is a clear need to establish shorter, more sustainable agricultural production practices and food supply chains. Urban agriculture is proposed as a potential method of intervention for planners to support sustainable food production and supply chains. The paper utilized a multiple-case study design to analyze four best practice examples of urban agriculture in the Global South to uncover its potential to address food security associated risks and contribute to sustainable development objectives. The results delivered evidence of the potential to harness the multifunctionality of urban agriculture to not only improve the food security of the most at-risk populations, but to also address other urban risks such as unemployment, community decline and food deserts. The recommendations for this paper relate to establishing a food security department, mapping and encouraging more sustainable food supply chains, creating land uses and zonings specific to urban agriculture and to utilize its multifunctionality to address other urban risks.

Improving the regional organization of food flow requires an understanding of system constraints. System transformation is necessary if the system is to include regional, independent wholesale food suppliers and to distribute food in an equitable and sustainable manner. Regional suppliers play a pivotal role in overall food system resilience, an emerging issue in wake of the numerous failures in conventional food supply chains exacerbated by COVID-19-related disruptions. Yet alternative supply chains that link local producers with towns and urban centers regionally, represent a small fraction of our nation's food suppliers. They struggle to compete with larger distribution networks that can supply products in-and out-of-season by global procurement. The upper Midwest harbors numerous local and regional food supply chains consisting of farms, processors, trucking companies, wholesalers and other firms that share a commitment to sustainability and local economic development. A constellation of challenges hamper their emergence, however, even as larger scale food supply chains flounder or fail to effectively serve communities. Informed by Donella Meadows's work on leverage points for systemic change, a collaborative, transdisciplinary and systems research effort examined conventional food supply networks and identified key opportunities for shifting food supply chain relationships. System concepts such as stock and flow, leverage points, and critical thresholds helped us to frame and identify challenges and opportunities in the current system. The second and third phase of our collaborative research effort occurred over 4 years (2013–2016) and involved twenty-six people in co-generation of knowledge as a loose-knit team. The team included farmers, supply chain practitioners, students, academic staff and faculty from multiple departments and colleges. Our primary method was to host public workshops with practitioner speakers and participants to identify dominant narratives and key concepts within discourses of different participants in distribution networks. The literature review was iterative, based on challenges, ideas and specific questions discussed at workshops. Our research exposed two meta-narratives shaping the supply chain: diversity and efficiency. In addition to these high-leverage narratives, we identified and examined five key operational thresholds in the Upper Midwest regional food system that could be leveraged to improve food flow in the region. Attention to these areas makes it possible for businesses to operate within environmental limits and develop social structures that can meet scale efficiencies necessary for economic success. We iteratively shared this co-produced knowledge with decision-makers via local food policy councils, local government, and national policy circles with the goal of supplying actionable information. This phased action research project created the environment necessary for a group of food system entrepreneurs to emerge and collaborate, poised to improve system resilience in anticipation of food system disruptions. It forms the basis for on-going research on food flow, regional resilience, and supply chain policy.

COVID‐19, which is a global problem, affects the all supply chains throughout the world. One of the supply chains most affected by COVID‐19 is food supply chains. Since the sustainable food supply chain processes are complex and vulnerable in terms of product variety, it has been negatively affected by the operational effects of COVID‐19. While the problems experienced in the supply chain processes and raw material constraints caused stops in production, the importance of new business models and production approaches came to the fore. One of the issues of increasing importance is the adoption of reverse logistics activities in sustainable food supply chains and increasing the resilience of food supply chains by integrating blockchain technology into processes. However, adapting blockchain technology to increase the resilience of reverse logistics activities in the food supply chain has advantages as well as risks that need to be considered. Therefore, it is aimed to determine these risks by using fuzzy synthetic evaluation method for eliminating the risks of blockchain adaptation for flexible reverse logistics in food supply chains to increase resiliency. The novelty of this study is that besides discussing about the benefits of BC‐T, it is to identify the risks it can create, to eliminate these risks and to guide the establishment of resilience in reverse logistics activities of SFSCs. According to results, the risks with the highest value among the subrisks are determined as data security risks. Data management risks are calculated as the risk with the highest value.

Evaluation and ranking of solutions to overcome the barriers of Industry 4.0 enabled sustainable food supply chain adoption

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.

Robust optimization of sustainable food supply chain network considering food waste valorization and supply uncertainty

Food supply chains are highly distributed, collaborative, heterogeneous, diverse, and varied by product, process, and destination. The global food supply chain (FSC) objective is to maintain a good balance between supply and demand and move products from producer to market. However, sustainability of the FSC has become a major concern as limited resources and increasing population pressure threaten its existence. Supply chain management is an important issue for FSC due to information flow throughout the supply chain. Industry-specific characteristics and extensive integration among multiple actors in an entire supply chain exacerbate this situation. The agri-food sector has one of the lowest rates of information technology penetration for innovation. Over the past thirty years, information and communication technology (ICT) has been introduced into the agricultural and food sectors, helping to improve food production and transportation. However, there are various challenges, such as transparency, accountability, food scandal, trust, and inefficient information flow, that the food supply chain is still facing in reaching sustainable goals. The complexity of food supply systems and the opportunities and challenges faced regarding desired sustainability performance need to be examined to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Blockchain is an emerging and disruptive digital technology that can transform governance and sustainability in integrated food supply chains. It provides a transparent, immutable, and traceable ledger that minimizes anomalies and information fraud, making it a potential solution for designing a transparent, traceable food system. Blockchain can potentially improve the sustainability of the food supply chain by providing a transparent traceability system. Food traceability is important for managing the food supply chain and protecting public health. It allows quick and accurate traceability of contaminated food that causes foodborne illness outbreaks, leading to the withdrawal of contaminated food from markets. Blockchain can achieve traceability, provenance tracking, transparency, and reduce environmental impact in the food supply chain. It also helps in achieving sustainable development goals set by the UN. However, there is no scientific research on blockchain’s contribution to achieving these goals in the food supply chain. Therefore, this article presents a systematic literature review and thematic analysis to study the relationship between FSC sustainability, blockchain, and sustainable development goals.

Sustainable Food Supply

Digitalising food manufacturing

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to explore innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain in the future by focusing on investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on the fashion supply chain and review sustainable supply chain.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) and a case study have been undertaken to explore the innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain developed after the COVID-19 outbreak. Having conducted a comprehensive literature search in electronic databases Google Scholar, Emerald Insight, ScienceDirect and ProQuest, 69 articles were selected and reviewed. A case of the Kering Group was used to explain the results.FindingsThis paper highlighted the basic concepts of a sustainable supply chain, reviewed the 10 principles of the United Nation Global Compact and their connections to promoting supply chain sustainability, as well as the three components of a sustainable supply chain: green supply chain, transparent supply chain and circular supply chain. Based on the results of a SLR and a real case of Kering Group, the paper identified 12 innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain: (1) biodegradable and natural materials, (2) textile recycling, (3) nearshoring, (4) artificial intelligence (AI), (5) robot, (6) 3D printing, (7) Internet of Things, (8) blockchain, (9) reverse resources; (10) bio-packaging, (11) augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and (12) digital runway.Research limitations/implicationsThe epidemiological situations of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding innovative ideas for a sustainable supply chain may change over time. While this paper provides a comprehensive literature review and case study, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts in the development of a sustainable fashion supply chain through collecting both quantitative and qualitative data.Practical implicationsEmbracing the issues from the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of this study are further explained by the case of Kering Group in the fashion industry. The managerial implications of the results and discussion are the need to adopt innovative ideas for a more sustainable fashion supply chain in the future. The success of sustainable supply chains work by leveraging the best available technologies such as robot, 3D printing, AR and VR, setting consistent standards for sustainability such as Environmental Profit and Loss and Kering & Textile Exchange and communicating with all parties throughout the supply chain, such as blockchain and AI. Investment in developing technology and innovative ideas will be the key of future to supply chain sustainability. Nonetheless, the specific approach used by each organization must be tailored to its characteristics, goals and circumstances.Social implicationsBringing upon unprecedented challenges, the pandemic has shown both companies and consumers just how fragile our planet is. Thus, to protect our planet in the long run, we need to not only make businesses more sustainable but also live more eco-friendly lifestyles.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work that conducts a systemic review of the relevant academic journal articles addressed to the managerial audience on sustainable (fashion) supply chain. In addition, this paper also adds some consideration to this gap by exploring the innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain in the future and using a case to illustrate how these ideas can be put in a real-life context. This paper discusses the impact of COVID-19 on different stages of the supply chain and gives innovative ideas that can be used in response to the changing epidemiological situations of the pandemic.

The food supply chain in South Africa faces significant challenges related to transparency, traceability, and consumer trust, exacerbated by growing concerns about food safety, quality, and sustainability. As these concerns grow, there is an increasing need for innovative solutions to address these issues. Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising tool that can enhance the transparency and accountability of the food supply chain. This study sought to explore how blockchain technology might revolutionize the development of sustainable food supply chain infrastructure in South Africa. The study found that blockchain technology used in the food supply chain creates an immutable and decentralized ledger of transactions that has the capacity to provide real-time, end-to-end visibility of food products from farm to table. This increased transparency can help mitigate risks associated with food fraud, contamination, and inefficiencies in the supply chain. The implementation of blockchain can improve supply chain efficiency and foster trust among stakeholders, including farmers and food suppliers. This technology used and/or applied in South Africa can reshape the agricultural sector by improving production and distribution processes. Its integration in the food supply chain infrastructure can equally improve data management and increase transparency between farmers and food suppliers. There is a need for policymakers and scholars in the fields of service delivery and food security to conduct more research in blockchain technology and its roles in creating a more transparent, efficient, and trustworthy food supply chain infrastructure that addresses food supply problems in South Africa. The paper adopted a qualitative methodology to collect data, and document and content analysis techniques were used to interpret collected data. This study lays the groundwork for further investigation into blockchain’s potential to shape the future of food supply networks.

Background: The dynamics of supply chain networks have changed due to increasing complexities. Global expansions and knowledge transfer in supply chain networks bring efficiency and effectiveness to companies. However, the probability of supply chain complexity has also been seen increasing. The barriers to sustainable supply chain networks need to be tackled in an effective manner as they impact business operations. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate and reduce the supply chain complexities, as it will facilitate the process of knowledge transfer and increase the implementation of sustainable practises in supply chain networks. In the previous research, four supply chain complexity drivers were identified. Previous research identified four supply chain complexity drivers by conducting a systematic review. This study investigates which of the four complexity drivers impacts knowledge transfer in the context of the food supply chain sector. Methods: In this research, knowledge transfer is therefore examined from the perspective of sustainable food supply chains. Thirty exploratory qualitative interviews were conducted in this study and analysed using Nvivo (v12) software. This study utilised thematic analysis techniques for the evaluation of the interviews to gather results. Results: The results illustrated six main factors classified under broad categories: integration of Knowledge Transfer, incorporation of technological advancements in supply chain networks, supply chain complexity solutions, supply chain complexity drivers, sustainable supply chain networks, and capability to reduce supply chain complexity. The findings of this study highlight that process complexity significantly influences the process of knowledge transfer in food supply chain networks. The research findings contribute to both academic and practical domains. This study contributes to the aggregation of supply chain complexity and its impact on Knowledge Transfer. Additionally, the findings support supply chain networks, which strive to achieve efficient Knowledge Transfer to attain sustainable value in business operations. Conclusion: This study has proven that robust knowledge transfer reduces supply chain complexity as it makes supply chain systems more resilient and well-coordinated in many potential ways.

"Sustainable Food Supply Chain Research", as a seminar collection of articles, provides theoretical and empirical scientific insights to enable sustainable food research academics, students, and practitioners to gauge the trajectory of sustainable food supply chain research, including contemporary research positions on a sustainable food supply chain around the world. Rigorously synthesizing the relevant academic literature and gold standard methods, the scientific contributions in this reprint integrate quantitative and qualitative models and tools that address the product quality framework for food supply chains, the causes of food waste within grocery retail chains, choice editing in favour of sustainable consumption in supply chains, multi-stakeholder initiatives in food supply chains, sustainability in governance in the cocoa supply chain, digitalisation for a sustainable food supply chain, logistics service quality, crop failure and supply chain dynamics in a developing country context, strategic agility in the fresh produce supply chain, and short food supply chains, among others.

The world population is continuously growing and it affects increased usage of natural resources on one hand and creating waste and endangering natural environment on the other hand. According to FAO estimate in the following decades, the number of people on the earth is going to be increased to 10 billion, which requires increase in food production. The increase is going to lead to larger amount of waste, which is created in food supply chain. The term “food industry waste “covers all substances that represent left overs or unused excessive materials during production process. In fact, all materials that are meant to be disposed of or process them in a suitable way so they do not pollute environment can be considered the waste. The most part of waste from this sector are remains of basic raw materials, which are remains after obtaining main product. Taking into account these substances do not present the main product, they are known as by-products. They can be processed and reused. Non-disposed byproducts from agriculture and food industry pose a threat and endanger the health of people and animals. The interest in using by-products from food supply chain is growing constantly. Experts are looking for additional opportunities for their safe processing, ways for turning them into raw materials, by whose recycling into new products, the amount of the waste would be minimized, and at the same time new, usable products would be introduced. Large amounts of waste, including by-products is generated during production and processing of meat. If animal origin waste is not processed (recycled), it represent lost raw materials for production of protein energy food, technical grease for chemical industry or fuel with high calorific value. The most suitable way for harmless removal of non-edible by-products from meat industry as well as dead animals, is their collection and usage, depending on the structure and kind of raw materials and their categorization, technical processing and application of modern technologies. Disposal of by-products and animal waste in Republika Srpska is not resolved in an appropriate manner and poses a danger to human health and the health ofanimals. In order to achieve this, there is a need for organized collection, storaging and disposal of animal by-products from slaughtering of animals by their technical processing in specialized plants. These plants allow us to produce high-quality animal feed or the raw material for biofuels production (biogas, biodiesel) with the complete protection of the environment. Economic side of this problem implies collection and safe disposal of huge quantities of biological materials that produce costs, which have to be incorporated in prices of the products. If waste of animal origin is not processed (recycled), they represent lost raw material that was possible to incorporate in production of proteinaceous – energetic feed, technical fat for chemical industry or fuels with high calorific value. The most suitability way for harmless removal of inedible by-products from the meat industry, as well as dead animals, is certainly their collection and use depending on the type and structure of raw materials and their categorization, by technical processing using modern equipment and technology.