Global Food Supply Research Articles

Decision-making processes on sustainable packaging options in the European food sector

Food packaging improves shelf life and allows longer transportation distances in global food supply chains, but it is also responsible for huge volumes of waste. The transition to sustainable packaging by food companies has often been slow and inconsistent. How decisions on (sustainable) packaging are made within companies in the food sector remains mostly opaque to research. To explore the decision-making process and identify barriers for cleaner, more resource efficient food packaging, we carried out 17 interviews in four European countries across different food sectors using the theoretical decision-making process of Nutt (1984) as an analytical framework. Through qualitative content analysis, we found that decision-making processes often lack structure and extend over long stretches of time. Frequently, they are initiated in response to packaging material manufacturers or suppliers. Switching to more sustainable packaging often implies costly investments into new machinery. Economic sustainability takes precedence over ecological sustainability. We recommend companies move to life-cycle cost models for packaging decisions, commit to mono- and other recyclable materials, and establish structured decision-making processes with clear cut-off criteria so as to streamline implementation decisions. Our results further support a call for progressive legislation towards a circular economy in the packaging sector.

A secure food supply chain solution: blockchain and IoT-enabled container to enhance the efficiency of shipment for strawberry supply chain

The supply chain systems in the food industry are complex, including manufacturers, dealers, and customers located in different areas. Currently, there is a lack of transparency in the distribution and transaction processes of online food trade. The global food supply chain industry has enormous hurdles because of this problem, as well as a lack of trust among individuals in the sector and a reluctance to share information. This study aims to develop a blockchain-based strawberry supply chain (SSC) framework to create a transparent and secure system for tracking the movement of strawberries from the farm to the consumer. Using Ethereum smart contracts, the proposed solution monitors participant interactions, triggers events, and logs transactions to promote transparency and informed decision-making. The smart contracts also govern interactions between vendors and consumers, such as monitoring the status of Internet of Things (IoT) containers for food supply chains and notifying consumers. The proposed framework can be extended to other supply chain industries in the future to increase transparency and immutability.

Cold Chain Logistics Management and Operations: Problems and Suggestions in the Post-Epidemic Era

The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has brought unprecedented challenges to global food supply chains, and cold chain logistics, which involves the transportation and storage of temperature-sensitive foods, has become a key area of concern. The ongoing incidence of infections from abroad that are imported due to the cold chain, which has negatively damaged the cold chain logistics sector. In China, monitoring and maintaining cold chain logistics still presents a few challenges despite the industry's fast expansion. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the problems and challenges faced by the cold chain logistics industry in China and to develop effective strategies and measures to enhance the management and control of the cold chain logistics industry. The purpose of this study is to offer insightful analysis and suggestions for enhancing the security and effectiveness of China's cold chain logistics sector in the post-epidemic age.

No More Cattle?

Anthropogenic climate change is undeniably altering planet Earth, and agricultural emissions are a significant contributor to this crisis. Agriculture, specifically cattle farming, is a key emitter of GHG emissions, accounting for 14.5% of global GHG emissions. This paper thus asks, given that cattle farming contributes a significant amount of total global GHG emissions, if the elimination of cattle farming in the EU is a sustainable way to reduce total GHG emissions. This paper explores the sustainability of cattle farming in the EU and highlights the vital role that EU cattle farming plays in the EU economy and in meeting the global food supply. It also explores the role that beef consumption plays in human diets. By researching the available literature, this paper finds that the complete elimination of cattle farming in the EU would have devastating effects on the EU economy and would leave the global food demand largely unmet. Not to mention that the environmental benefits of eliminating cattle farming become less significant when accounting for the emissions of new economic activity on ex-cattle grazing lands. Thus, this paper highlights the importance of improving cattle management and changing dietary patterns to mitigate GHG emissions in the context of a worsening climate and an increasing global food demand that must be met.

A Deep Learning-Based Decision Support Tool for Plant-Parasitic Nematode Management.

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN), especially sedentary endoparasitic nematodes like root-knot nematodes (RKN), pose a significant threat to major crops and vegetables. They are responsible for causing substantial yield losses, leading to economic consequences, and impacting the global food supply. The identification of PPNs and the assessment of their population is a tedious and time-consuming task. This study developed a state-of-the-art deep learning model-based decision support tool to detect and estimate the nematode population. The decision support tool is integrated with the fast inferencing YOLOv5 model and used pretrained nematode weight to detect plant-parasitic nematodes (juveniles) and eggs. The performance of the YOLOv5-640 model at detecting RKN eggs was as follows: precision = 0.992; recall = 0.959; F1-score = 0.975; and mAP = 0.979. YOLOv5-640 was able to detect RKN eggs with an inference time of 3.9 milliseconds, which is faster compared to other detection methods. The deep learning framework was integrated into a user-friendly web application system to build a fast and reliable prototype nematode decision support tool (NemDST). The NemDST facilitates farmers/growers to input image data, assess the nematode population, track the population growths, and recommend immediate actions necessary to control nematode infestation. This tool has the potential for rapid assessment of the nematode population to minimise crop yield losses and enhance financial outcomes.

PSVI-3 Effects of Sprouted Barley on Feeding Behavior and Dry Matter Intake in Growing Steers

Abstract Beef cattle production is a key component to the global food supply and is a valuable source of protein for human consumption. Decreased land and water availability in the Intermountain West region of the U.S. poses challenges for conventional production systems. An alternative option to overcome these challenges is through vertical, controlled environment farming. These systems are used to sprout cereal grains that can be used as feed for beef cattle. In this trial, 60 commercial Angus steers (328.24 ± 6.48 kg) were each stratified into one of four treatment groups (n=15). Treatment groups consisted of a typical ration for the region served as the control and treatments groups had a 5%, 10%, or 20% (DM) inclusion of sprouted barley grain. Animals were fed for 60 days and body weights were measured on days 0, 30, and 60. Intake and feeding behavior were measured throughout the 60 days by Vytelle bunk units. The PROC MIXED procedure of SAS was used to analyze all data where day was used as a repeated measure to determine the main effect of treatment. There was a treatmentxday effect (P = 0.006) on DMI demonstrating steers that received 10% or 20% sprouted barley had a linear increase in intake throughout the trial, where steers that received 0% or 5% sprouted barley showed a linear increase in intake over the first 30 days, but then plateaued the last 30 days of the trial. Additionally, a treatmentxday effect was observed for feed bouts (P = 0.0004) and bunk visits (P = 0.0001), showing that steers receiving 5% or 20% sprouted barley had consistent bunk visits and feed bouts throughout, where 0% sprouted barley increased the first 30 days then decreased the last 30 days, and 10% sprouted barley decreased over the first 30 days then increased the last 30 days. Treatment had no effect (P = 0.85) on weight gain over the trial period. These data demonstrate that including sprouted barley in the ration of backgrounding cattle has no effect on overall animal body weight gain, but does affect dry matter intake and feeding behavior.

Consuming the non-human and the less-than-human: A critical study of Sarah Kane’s Blasted (1995)

The epoch of the Anthropocene, with accelerating technological advances and growing economic and social inequalities, have made the spatial reality more violent, intolerable, discriminatory and disintegrating. These growing inequalities set the conditions for exploitation and subjugation. While the privileged section of the human population buys their way out and lives comfortably within the closed spaces of their gated communities amidst the global devastation; the underprivileged, on the other hand, have to confront the consequences. Within the privileged closed space, the food is available in abundance, and is lavishly served, consumed and even wasted; but for those outside the privileged closed space, the scarcity and unavailability of food is an imminent threat. The paper focuses on the fragility of the economy of food within the gradually worsening Anthropocene condition, especially the over-dependence of global food supply chains. The paper places Sarah Kane’s play Blasted (1995) in one such condition, such as conflict or war, in which the food supply is halted and the havoc is unleashed. In Blasted, the object of consumption, the food eaten by human subjects when the food supply chains are unharmed, is the non-human flora and fauna. And when the food supply chains are disrupted or halted, when the bubble of a safe closed space bursts and when the food is hard to come by, the natural instinct to survive kicks in and the human subjects do everything in their power to survive, including cannibalizing the less-that-human or the dehumanized Other.

Detailed metabolite profiling and in vitro studies of Urospermum picroides as a potential functional food.

Wild edible plants (WEP) are part of the Mediterranean culinary culture and can be used as famine foods in times of severe food shortages. Urospermum picroides is a WEP that grows under harsh conditions and represents an opportunity to expand and diversify the global food supply. However, little is known about its chemical profile. In this study, liquid chromatography coupled to HRESIMS allowed the identification of 77 metabolites in U. picroides extract, among which 12 sesquiterpene-amino acid conjugates are reported here for the first time. Due to the novelty of these conjugates, GNPS molecular networking was used to provide information on their fragmentation pathway. Further, the sesquiterpene enriched U. picroides extract showed a moderate anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated THP1-macrophages by increasing IL-10 secretion while decreasing pro-inflammatory IL-6 secretion at 50µg/mL. Our study provides evidence for the potential use of U. picroides as an anti-inflammatory functional food and nutraceutical agent.

Consumers' expectations and experiences of salad greens, herbs, and fruits from vertical farming: Comparison with organic produce

Vertical farming (VF) is a novel and high-tech production system for several types of edible plants. Currently, these are primarily salad greens and herbs, but scope exists to expand into a broader range of fruits and vegetables. VF attracts considerable attention because of its potential to contribute to a healthier and more sustainable global food supply. Past consumer research points to dominantly positive VF consumer attitudes. However, knowledge is lacking about VF-grown product expectations and experiences. The present research is situated in this gap and used a comparative research strategy – VF vs organic agriculture. Using online surveys, product knowledge and sensory product expectations were studied among consumers in three European countries. This confirmed past reports of low VF product experience and found sensory product expectations to be less positive than those for organic product variants. Across a range of salad greens, herbs, and fruits, consumers expected reduced flavour intensity and less freshness in VF-grown produce. In two taste tests with commercial samples conducted in Denmark (∼190 consumers), actual product experience was measured. The key finding was disconfirmation of negative sensory expectations. VF-grown produce was not systematically disliked compared with organic counterparts. Moreover, there were no instances of VF-grown produce being disliked by consumers, on average. An analysis of the sensory drivers of liking for salad greens and herbs revealed the importance of variety characteristic flavours. That is, if growing, say, basil, then it is important that the product has an identifiable ‘basil flavour.’ This holds for organic and VF-grown produce alike.

A review of the impact of social disruptions on food security and food choice.

At times of severe social disruption, be that war, conflict, pandemic, or economic downturn, both the availability and consumption of healthy dietary patterns can be adversely affected with any effects often outlasting the initial social disruption. For instance, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and lockdown restrictions followed, households were reported to consume unhealthy diets. In some cases, this seemed to be a response to the situation and a coping mechanism. In contrast, in other cases, it was a consequence of limited food availability or access, with some communities finding that fresh foods became difficult to source due to the disruption in global supply chains. The example presented by the impact of conflict in Ukraine, which has also disrupted global food supply chains, at a macrolevel, food systems and at a microlevel, individual and community shows that food choices may respond to different global events in similar ways. Therefore, in this review, a range of events/disruptions are considered, beyond pandemics and wars, including climate disasters (e.g., fire, famine, and floods) that have been shown to impact food supply and consequently, food security. The importance of this can be seen as inadequate and nutritionally poor diets have a concomitant effect on health, which extends beyond the initial period of societal stress and disruption of food supply chains. Hence, the impact of such disruptions on consumer behavior which includes food choice needs to be corroborated. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the impact of such disruptions on consumer behavior and food choices. Additionally, this review provides some practical strategies that can be used to ensure the availability of healthy diets.

How much of the Mexican agricultural supply is produced by small farms, and how?

The contribution of small farms to the global food supply is in debate due to lack of empirical evidence. In Mexico, small farms have been relatively important for national food supply due to an agrarian reform in the first half of the 20th century, but their role has been decreasing in the last decades. The aim of this study is to quantify how much small farms produce of the Mexican agricultural supply, and with which farming practices, using the 2019 National Agricultural Survey. The results show that small farms produce 19% of the national agricultural production with similar farming practices to those of medium and large farms. When considering imports and exports, small farms produce 15% of the national agricultural supply. The production of small farms consists mainly of cash crops (e.g. sugar cane, fruits & vegetables, animal products, fodder crops) and, to a lesser extent, staple crops such as maize and beans. The fact that small farms produce one fifth of the national production after decades of governmental support towards large farms suggests that they have resilient production systems. The results of this study support that stronger efforts should be made to enhance the role of small farms in achieving Mexican food sovereignty. This will not only have benefits in terms of food supply but may also have a wide range of social and environmental benefits.

Control strategies for 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus - From vaccines to host disease resistance. Proceeding of The First International Avian Influenza Summit, University of Arkansas- October 16-17, 2023"

Avian influenza virus (AIV) is a highly contagious and lethal disease that can have major impacts on the global poultry industry and food supply. While more frequent in Asia and Europe, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) outbreaks have traditionally been rare in the U.S. However, in recent years, the U.S. has seen an increase in the incidence of HPAIV outbreaks in wild birds and commercial poultry. In 2014/2015 and in 2021/2022, outbreaks of HPAIV subtype H5NX clade 2.3.4.4 resulted in the death and destruction of over 50 million birds, each costing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of control strategies against the 2.3.4.4 HPAI virus, encompassing both vaccination approaches and host-driven disease resistance mechanisms. The first section outlines the advancements in vaccine development tailored specifically for the 2.3.4.4 HPAI subtype. Through a critical analysis of experimental studies and field trials, we discuss the efficacy, safety, and cross-protection capabilities of various vaccine formulations, including inactivated whole-virus vaccines, vector-based platforms, and novel recombinant technologies. Furthermore, this section explores the challenges associated with vaccine design, including strain diversity, antigenic differences, and logistical hurdles in large-scale vaccination campaigns. The second section delves into host-centric strategies aimed at enhancing natural resistance against 2.3.4.4 HPAI virus infections. Because vaccines are not currently approved for use in the U.S., control strategies for HPAIV are dependent on biosecurity and culling of infected flocks. New strategies for HPAIV control based on gene editing of poultry species could offer solutions for disease control. Two different strategies for improving disease resistance to HPAIV are based on enhancing the innate immunity of the bird and targeting the viral RNA genome inside the cell. By harnessing genetic engineering techniques, including CRISPR/Cas-9 or -13, natural resistance to avian influenza can be achieved in poultry. Taken together, we will examine the current basis of control strategies for the 2.3.4.4 HPAI virus, offering insights into the strengths and limitations of both vaccination and novel gene-editing technologies to enhance host disease resistance to HPAI. By expanding our toolbox, this work contributes to the ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact of 2.3.4.4 HPAI on global poultry industries and public health.

Accelerating the Classification of NOVA Food Processing Levels Using a Fine-Tuned Language Model: A Multi-Country Study.

The consumption and availability of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are associated with an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases, have increased in most countries. While many countries have or are planning to incorporate UPF recommendations in their national dietary guidelines, the classification of food processing levels relies on expertise-based manual categorization, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Our study utilized transformer-based language models to automate the classification of food processing levels according to the NOVA classification system in the Canada, Argentina, and US national food databases. We showed that fine-tuned language models using the ingredient list text found on food labels as inputs achieved a high overall accuracy (F1 score of 0.979) in predicting the food processing levels of Canadian food products, outperforming traditional machine learning models using structured nutrient data and bag-of-words. Most of the food categories reached a prediction accuracy of 0.98 using a fined-tuned language model, especially for predicting processed foods and ultra-processed foods. Our automation strategy was also effective and generalizable for classifying food products in the Argentina and US databases, providing a cost-effective approach for policymakers to monitor and regulate the UPFs in the global food supply.

Emergency regional food supply chain design and its labor demand forecasting model: application to COVID-19 pandemic disruption

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the global food supply chain through various interventions, such as city closures, traffic restrictions, and silent management. Limited research has been conducted on the design of emergency regional food supply chains (ERFSC) and its labor demand forecasting under government-mandated interventions. This paper applies emergency supply chain management theory to analyze the business processes of the ERFSC and proposes a multi-level ERFSC network tailored to different risk levels. Additionally, a food demand forecasting model and a mathematical model for stochastic labor demand planning are constructed based on the development trend of regional epidemics. An empirical analysis is presented using Huaguoyuan, Guiyang, China, as an example. The results demonstrate that the proposed ERFSC design and its labor demand forecasting model can achieve secure supply and accurate distribution of necessities in regions with different risk levels. These findings have important policy and research implications for the government and practitioners to take interventions and actions to ensure food supply for residents in the context of city closure or silent management. This study serves as a pilot study that will be further extended by the authors from geographical and policy perspectives.

Opportunities and Challenges in the Smart and Comprehensive Monitoring of Complex Surface Systems

The trade-offs between wetland and cropland generate new challenges in understanding the balance between humanity and nature regarding the global carbon cycle, biological diversity, and food supplies [...]

Crop models and their use in assessing crop production and food security: A review

AbstractAgriculture is directly related to food security as it determines the global food supply. Research in agriculture to predict crop productivity and losses helps avoid high food demand with little supply and price spikes. Here, we review ten crop models and one intercomparison project used for simulating crop growth and productivity under various impacts from soil–crop–atmosphere interactions. The review outlines food security and production assessments using numerical models for maize, wheat, and rice production. A summary of reviewed studies shows the following: (1) model ensembles provide smaller modeling errors compared to single models, (2) single models show better results when coupled with other types of models, (3) the ten reviewed crop models had improvements over the years and can accurately predict crop growth and yield for most of the locations, management conditions, and genotypes tested, (4) APSIM and DSSAT are fast and reliable in assessing broader output variables, (5) AquaCrop is indicated to investigate water footprint, quality and use efficiency in rainfed and irrigated systems, (6) all models assess nitrogen dynamics and use efficiency efficiently, excluding AquaCrop and WOFOST, (7) JULES specifies in evaluating food security vulnerability, (8) ORYZA is the main crop model used to evaluate paddy rice production, (9) grain filling is usually assessed with APSIM, DAISY, and DSSAT, and (10) the ten crop models can be used as tools to evaluate food production, availability, and security.

Satellite forecasting of crop harvest can trigger a cross-hemispheric production response and improve global food security

Global food security is increasingly threatened by climate change and regional human conflicts. Abnormal fluctuations in crop production in major exporting countries can cause volatility in food prices and household consumption in importing countries. Here we show that timely forecasting of crop harvest from satellite data over major exporting regions can trigger production response in the opposite hemisphere to offset the short-term fluctuations and stabilize global food supply. Satellite forecasting can reduce the fluctuation extents of country-level prices by 1.1 to 12.5 percentage points for anticipated wheat shortage or surplus in Russia and Ukraine, and even reverse the price shock in importing countries for anticipated soybean shortage in Brazil. Our research demonstrates that by leveraging the seasonal lags in crop calendars between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, operational crop monitoring from satellite data can provide a mechanism to improve global food security.

Bibliometric Analysis of Food Fraud

Food fraud threatens consumer health, food integrity, and global food supply systems, making it a global issue. Recently, bibliometric analysis has become a useful method for appraising studies in food science and fraud detection. This systematic review employs bibliometric tools to examine food fraud research trends, notable authors, and significant research issues. This investigation searches different scientific databases for relevant 1931–2023 papers. VOSviewer was used to show co-author networks, keyword co-occurrence, pattern quotations, and other bibliometric indicators. The bibliometric study shows a decade-long growth in food fraud studies. This food fraud detection bibliometric study covers the research landscape. These studies help food fraud researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders discover research trends, prominent authors, significant work, and collaborative networks. These findings can inform future research, information exchange, and evidence-based food safety and consumer protection decisions.

The Impacts of Russo-Ukrainian War on World Economy: Energy, Finance and Crop Markets

With the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the world economy has been deeply affected. Some countries that depend on Russian energy imports are in an energy crisis at this time. With the increase in demand for weapons and equipment, the war stimulated the development of Russian military-industrial complexes. The world's financial markets have also become volatile. Ukraine's fertile black soil feeds four million people. However, as the war escalated, wheat cultivation in Ukraine was also deeply affected, endangering the security of the global food supply chain. What strategies will some countries adopt to deal with the energy crisis? How can global investors plan their portfolios? How will the shortage of wheat affect the global food supply chain? In the face of a series of sanctions by Western countries led by the United States, how will Russia respond? This article attempts to analyze the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the world economy from three perspectives: energy and manufacturing, financial markets, and agricultural product markets.

Achieving farmworker health equity in Colombia: A participatory approach to identifying needs and strategies

Farmworkers, who are essential to the global food supply chain, are often exposed to a range of occupational hazards that can have negative impacts on their health. Hazards include exposure to pesticides, long working hours, and physical strain, among others. Unfortunately, farmworkers, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries, often lack access to basic healthcare services and face numerous health inequities. Colombia is no exception. The country's agricultural sector is an important part of its economy, but farmworkers in Colombia face significant health challenges. Many work long hours in difficult conditions and lack access to basic healthcare services. To address such challenges, there is a need for greater awareness and action targeting global farmworker health inequities, specifically in Colombia. The study’s purpose was to reach consensus among community health workers who serve farmworkers in Colombia on the most pervasive barriers to healthcare access and quality of care, as well as on effective strategies linked to those barriers. Using the Delphi technique, seven barriers and five strategies achieved consensus. The results provide insights for key stakeholders such as extension educators to consider in the development of policy and practice intended to overcome relevant barriers and advance health equity among farmworkers.