Food Retailing and Supply Chain Linkages in the Russian Federation

Food and drink supply chains are complex, continually changing systems, involving many participants. They present stakeholders across the food and drinks industries with considerable challenges. Delivering performance in food supply chains offers expert perspectives to help practitioners and academics to improve their supply chain operations. The Editors have identified six key challenges in managing food and drinks supply chains. Each section of the book focuses on one of these important issues. The first chapters consider the fundamental role of relationship management in supply chains. The next section discusses another significant issue: aligning supply and demand. Part three considers five different approaches to effective and efficient process management, while quality and safety management, an issue food companies need to take very seriously, is subject of the next section. Parts five and six review issues which are currently driving change in food supply chains: the effective use of new technologies and the desire to deliver food sustainably and responsibly. With expert contributions from leaders in their fields, Delivering performance in food supply chains will help practitioners and academics to understand different approaches in supply chain management, explore alternative methods and develop more effective systems. Considers the fundamental role of relationship management in supply chains including an overview of performance measurement in the management of food supply chains Discusses the alignment of supply and demand in food supply chains and reviews sales and operations planning and marketing strategies for competitive advantage in the food industry Provides an overview of the effective use of new technologies and those that will be used in the future to deliver food sustainably and reliably

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.

Food losses and waste (FLW) reduction and mitigating climate impact in food chains are priorities in achieving sustainable development goals. However, many FLW-reducing interventions induce additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for example, from energy, fuel, or packaging. The net effect of such interventions (expressed in GHG emissions per unit of food available for consumption) is not obvious, as is illustrated in a number of case studies. We recommend that in the decision to take on FLW-reducing interventions, the trade-offs on sustainability impacts (such as GHG emissions) are taken into consideration. Since FLW induce demand and extra operations in all stages along a supply chain, adequate representation of cumulative GHG emissions along the production and supply chain, including ‘hidden parts’ of the chain, is required, which is challenging in full LCA studies. As a workaround, the case studies in this paper are based on a generic tool, the Agro-Chain greenhouse gas Emission (ACE) calculator that includes metrics and data for common food product categories and supply chain typologies. The calculator represents the structure of a generic (fresh food) supply chain and offers data sets for, amongst others, crop GHG emission factors and FLW in different stages of the production and distribution chain. Through scenario calculations with different chain parameters (describing pre and post-intervention scenarios), the net effects of an intervention on GHG emissions and FLW per unit of food sold to the consumer can be compared with little effort. In the case studies, interventions at the production stage as well as in post-harvest operations, are analyzed. Results show that post-harvest activities (especially FLW) contribute substantially to the carbon footprint of supplied food products. The FLW-reducing interventions are considered to induce additional GHG emissions. In most case studies, FLW-reducing interventions lower total GHG associated with a unit of food supplied to a client or consumer. However, in one case study, the extra emissions due to the intervention were higher than the prevented emission from lowering food losses. Consequently, in the latter case, the intervention is not an effective GHG emission reduction intervention.

Chapter 4 - Food and beverage industry supply chains

PROTOCOL: Impact of the food environment on diet-related health outcomes in school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

This report details the activities and findings of a three year research project funded by The National Center for Food Protection and Defense at the University of Minnesota, a Homeland Security Center of Excellence. The project was conducted by three universities each taking responsibility for collecting data on a different part of the food supply chain. The overall goal was to ascertain the food defense practices and readiness of food firms along the food supply chain to defend their food and other assets from a potential terrorist attack. David Closs in the Supply Chain Management Center at Michigan State University was the named leader of the overall project. Dr. Closs and his colleagues investigated the practices of food manufacturers and some wholesalers. Chip White and Alan Erera from the Georgia Institute of Technology investigated the practices of trucking companies and Jean Kinsey and colleagues at The Food Industry Center at the University of Minnesota investigated the food defense practices of retailers (grocers and foodservice) and wholesalers who supply both these channels. This report focuses on the work of The Food Industry Center and the benchmarks of the retail and wholesale food companies. This project addresses the need to increase awareness of food system vulnerabilities among retail and wholesale food companies and enhance their preparedness for catastrophic incidents. Initial interviews and pilot surveys established the management and operations practices at retail, wholesale, and food service companies that lead to tightened security at a variety of food companies. The lessons learned from the initial stage of the project were incorporated into a comprehensive survey to ascertain the best practices in management, employment, communication, and information preparedness among firms in the wholesale/retail end of the food supply chain. The project will produce a benchmark report against which food companies can judge their relative level of preparedness for prevention, detection, response, and recovery. Results will be used to develop a set of best practices, a benchmarking (diagnostic) software tool for food companies to use and recommendations on improving food security practices, protecting employees and consumers, reducing vulnerabilities, and enhancing consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply.

This paper considers the price conflict problem between the online channel of a food processing factory and the offline channel of the food retailers in food supply chains by analyzing the pricing decisions and coordination mechanisms between the food processing factory and food retailers under the influence of a food quality information service. First, the Stackelberg game method and the Bertrand game method are used to optimize the pricing decisions with the goal of maximizing the profits of the food processing factory and retailer. The analysis shows that the food quality information service level is positively correlated with the price of the factory’s own channel, and the influence of the food quality information service level on the price of the food processing factory’s or the food retailer’s own channel is stronger than its influence on the price of a competitor’s channel. Second, the food supply chain members’ pricing decisions are analyzed using the case analysis method by considering practical problems in the food supply chain. The results indicate that the food processing factory should use the Stackelberg game to make pricing decisions. However, it is optimal for the food retailer to make pricing decisions under the Bertrand game, and the total profit of the food supply chain is optimized under centralized decision making. Finally, we use both the quantitative discount mechanism and the Stackelberg game method to analyze the profits obtained by the food processing factory and retailer. The results indicate that the food processing factory should implement a quantitative discount mechanism when the quantity discount coefficient is greater than 0.4, and the retailer should implement a quantity discount mechanism when the quantity discount coefficient is in the range of 0.25 to 0.4.

The epidemics and pandemics can severely affect food supply chains, including producers, retailers, wholesalers, and customers. To minimize their impacts, it is fundamental to implement effective policies that ensure continuity in the provision, affordability, and distribution of basic food items. This research identifies the main impacts of pandemics and epidemics on food supply chains and policies that can minimize these impacts. Based on a systematic literature review (SLR), 173 documents are analysed to propose a taxonomy of impacts on four supply chain links: demand-side, supply-side, logistics and infrastructure, and management and operation. The taxonomy presents the main impacts and respective mitigation policies. In addition, the literature review leads to the development of a comprehensive causal loop diagram (CLD) with the identification of main variables and their relationship with food supply chains. Finally, a specific research agenda is proposed by identifying the main research gaps. These findings provide a structured method for evaluating policies that ensure the functioning of food supply chains, particularly in disruptions such as epidemics and pandemics.

This paper reviews the emerging literature on food systems and food supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four themes are explored: consumer demand and retail market effects; supply-side shocks; food system and supply chain resilience; and developing countries and food insecurity. The effect of demand-side shocks is explored, including the sudden shift in expenditures from food service to food retail. Longer-run structural changes in the food retailing landscape include the expansion of online food delivery. The effect of supply-side shocks is examined extensively in the literature, including short-run adaptations as supply chains pivoted from the food service sector to food retail, along with supply-side disruptions due to labour force outbreaks of COVID-19. Resilience is a common theme in the literature, at both food system and food supply chain levels. While a variety of perspectives are offered, most assessments point to a surprising degree of resilience and adaptability, while identifying the points of vulnerability. The pandemic increased food insecurity through the effect on household incomes from reduced labour mobility, lockdowns, and a contraction in economic activity. These effects were particularly prominent among vulnerable populations in developing countries. Significant attention has been paid to the short- and medium-run effects of the pandemic on food systems, with further research needed to understand any longer-term structural changes that may arise. The COVID-19 pandemic offers lessons for the robustness of food systems and the importance of timely, well-informed policy responses in preparation for future global shocks.

The types of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence integration to the food value and supply chain, other technologies embedded with artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence adoption barriers in the food value and supply chain, and solutions to overcome these barriers were analyzed by the authors. It was demonstrated by the analysis that artificial intelligence can be integrated vertically into the entire food supply and value chain, owing to its wide range of functions. Different phases of the chain are affected by developed technologies such as robotics, drones, and smart machines. Different capabilities are provided for different phases by the interaction of artificial intelligence with other technologies such as big data mining, machine learning, the Internet of services, agribots, industrial robots, sensors and drones, digital platforms, driverless vehicles and machinery, and nanotechnology, as revealed by a systematic literature analysis. However, the application of artificial intelligence is hindered by social, technological, and economic barriers. These barriers can be overcome by developing the financial and digital literacy of farmers and by disseminating good practices among the participants of the food supply and value chain.

Severe injuries from product movement in the U.S. food supply chain

The study aims to provide a comprehensive, sustainable, and technologically advanced traceability model that enhances the safety and resilience of the food supply chain in Oman. It also seeks to create a framework for enhancing safety and resilience in the supply chain. This framework will influence other regional supply chains to embrace food traceability and contribute towards global food safety and sustainability efforts. This study followed a positivist research philosophy and used the quantitative research approach. A structured questionnaire was administered online to collect data from 385 respondents. To improve the reliability of the research instrument, a pilot test was conducted. Respondents were selected using a snowball technique. The results were tested using structural equation modelling. The results showed that compliance can improve food safety performance through data accuracy and timeliness in food supply chains in Oman. It was also found that technology traceability systems can improve food safety performance through collaborative supply chain relationships in food supply chains in Oman. Additionally, the research showed that technology traceability systems, through cooperative supply chains, enhance sustainable practices. The integration of technology traceability systems and regulatory compliance are significant elements that foster cooperation and bolster food safety and sustainability. The study holds significant implications for various stakeholders within Oman’s food industry and broader applications in similar contexts. With broader implications for the global food sector, the study offers a comprehensive framework for improving Oman’s food safety and supply chain resilience. Adopting such models can result in notable gains in economic efficiency, sustainability, consumer trust, and regulatory compliance. Oman can fortify its food business and serve as a model for other nations by utilising cutting-edge technologies and encouraging cooperation among stakeholders.

Food is one of the most traded goods, and the conflict in Ukraine, one of the European breadbaskets, has triggered a significant additional disruption in the global food supply chains after the COVID-19 impact. The disruption to food output, supply chains, availability, and affordability could have a long-standing impact. As a result, the availability and supply of a wide range of food raw materials and finished food products are under threat, and global markets have seen recent increases in food prices. Furthermore, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has adversely affected food supply chains, with significant effects on production, sourcing, manufacturing, processing, logistics, and significant shifts in demand between nations reliant on imports from Ukraine. This paper aims to analyze the impacts of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the effectiveness and responsiveness of the global food supply chains. A PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach, including grey literature, was deployed to investigate six key areas of the food supply chains that would be impacted most due to the ongoing war. Findings include solutions and strategies to mitigate supply chain impacts such as alternative food raw materials, suppliers and supply chain partners supported by technological innovations to ensure food safety and quality in warlike situations.

Blockchain: a framework for membership and access

Feeding the City, Pandemic and Beyond