Short Supply Chains Research Articles

Theoretical principles and practical approaches to the relations regulation between the participants of the meat supply chain

The article is studies theoretical principles and practical approaches to the settlement of relations between the food chain participants in the meat market. The issues of formation and transformation of food chains are currently one of the most discussed and studied by foreign and domestic scientists. It is substantiated that the share of direct producers of beef and pork has a negative dynamics of reduction and fluctuates within 30-40% in the fnal price formation. The share of producers in the retail price of poultry meat is much higher (47.1-59.5%) due to vertical integration and a closed production cycle. It is proved that the inconsistency of economic relations between the participants of the "production - processing - trade - the meat market consumer" chain affects both the supply of meat processing plants with raw materials and the formation of prices that would satisfy all the participants and results in unsatisfactory price situation for meat. Generalization of theoretical, methodological and practical principles of the "production-processing-trade-consumption" food chain, analysis and evaluation of the role of each of the links and studying the international experience gives grounds for identifying a number of areas in regulation of the relations and predetermine the increase the producer share in the chain through concluding fair and effective agreements between meat market participants; creation of agricultural service cooperatives and other associations of producers; establishment and running a network of wholesale markets for agricultural products; support for the creation and development of short supply chains; development of innovative logistics approaches and methods based on modern digital technologies. It is established that the relations between the participants of the chain "production-processing-trademeat market consumption" should be based on the principles of trust, justice, mutual respect, corporate social responsibility. It is substantiated that changes in consumer demands for food, including meat, increased competition, changes in government regulation, technological advances, increased emphasis on efficiency and sustainability, food safety affect changes in business and competitiveness strategies, which ultimately cause transformations in food chains in the form of new and innovative logistics approaches and methods. Key words: meat market, food chain, price, relationship settlement, innovative logistics approaches.

Tüketicilerin PGI tescilli Gümüşhane ev tipi dut ürünleri tüketim tercihleri: Gümüşhane örneği

Gümüşhane’de ikamet eden tüketicilerin geleneksel yöntemlerle işlenmiş menşe işaretli Gümüşhane ev tipi dut ürünlerinin homojenleştirilmiş hedef tüketici kitleleri tarafından tercih edilme nedenlerini ve bu tüketicilerin satın alma modellerine dayalı müşteri odaklı pazarlama taktik ve stratejilerini belirlemek amacıyla, bu çalışma planlanmıştır. Çalışmada kullanılan veriler, Gümüşhane ilinde bu ürünleri tüketen 300 hane halkı ile yapılan anket çalışmasından elde edilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler, tüketim tercihleri ana faktörlerini belirlemek için Principal Component Analiz (PCA) ve tüketim sıklıklarına göre homojen tüketici grupları oluşturmak için de K-means Cluster analiz kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçları; ev tipi dut ürünlerini yoğun bir şekilde tüketen kullanıcılar, satın alma kararı üzerinde yerli fındık-ceviz-dut, yüksek oranlı süt ve bal, fakat düşük düzeyli un ve su bileşiminden oluşan ürün içeriği ile geleneksel işleme teknikleri altında duyusal kalitenin yaratmış olduğu memnuniyet ile bölgesel kalkınmaya katkı sağlamaya istekli olduklarını göstermiştir. Ayrıca, orta düzeyli kullanıcılar, duyusal kalitenin temel belirleyicisi olan ürün içeriğinin geleneksek işleme tekniklerine dayalı temel fayda ve kısa arz zinciri güveni ile hedonik kalite tercihlerini kapsayan bileşik ürün imajına büyük bir önem atfetmektedir. Diğer taraftan düşük seviyedeki kullanıcılar, sosyal çevrenin etkisi ve besleyicilik güdüsü altında ürünle ilgili görsel deneyime dayalı olarak duyusal ve hedonik kalite algısına önem atfederek, gerçek ürün imajı altında kısa gıda arz zinciri güvencesi ile bölgesel kalkınmaya katkı sağlamak istedikleri analiz edilmiştir.

Short vs. Long-Distance Avocado Supply Chains: Life Cycle Assessment Impact Associated to Transport and Effect of Fruit Origin and Supply Conditions Chain on Primary and Secondary Metabolites.

Avocado consumption and trade are increasing worldwide, with North America and Europe being the main importing regions. Spain is the major European avocado producer (90% of the production), yet it only supplies 10% of the market. Consequently, more than 90% of the avocados consumed in Europe are imported from overseas, mainly from Chile and Peru. In this work, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) impact associated with the transport of two avocado supply chains (short (Spanish) and long (Chilean)) and the effect of the fruit origin and distance of both chains on primary and secondary metabolites from harvest to edible ripeness were evaluated using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection (LC-DAD) based metabolite analysis. The LCA transport impact of the fresh supply chain from production centers in Chile (Quillota) and Spain (Malaga), and then the distribution to several cities in Europe, suggested road export from Spain to European capitals to have the lowest impact (0.14 to 0.22 kg CO2 eq/kg of avocado). When export from Chile was considered, the option of oceanic freight to European ports closer to final destinations was clearly a better option (0.21 to 0.26 kg CO2 eq/kg) than via the Algeciras port in Spain followed by road transport to final destinations in European capitals (0.34 to 0.43 kg CO2 eq/kg), although the situation could be somewhat different if the avocados are transported from the destination ports in northern Europe to long-distance capitals in other European countries. Fruit origin had a significant impact on avocado primary and secondary metabolites. The conditions of the supply chain itself (10 d in cold storage in regular conditions vs. 30 d cold storage + controlled atmosphere conditions) largely influence the fate of some metabolites that certainly affect the pool of metabolites at edible ripeness. The long-assumed hypothesis that the longer the supply chain the more negative impact on nutritional and functional compounds might not hold in this case, as long as transport conditions are adequate in terms of temperature, atmosphere conditions, and time considering distance from origin to destination.

Community-Supported Agriculture Networks in Wales and Central Germany: Scaling Up, Out, and Deep through Local Collaboration

Multiple systemic crises have highlighted the vulnerabilities of our globalised food system, raising the demand for more resilient and ecologically sustainable alternatives, and fuelling engagement in practices such as community-supported agriculture (CSA). In CSA, local farmers and households share the costs and products of farming, allowing them to organise food provision non-commercially around short supply chains. While this may prefigure alternatives to the dominant food system, CSA is considered limited in regard to its scalability and accessibility. While these shortcomings apply to individual CSAs, we know little about whether multi-CSA networks can tackle them by expanding and institutionalising their practices at scale. This paper alleviates this blind spot by investigating local CSA networks in Wales and Germany through a lens of ‘food movement networks’, identifying their scaling practices and encountered challenges. It draws on semi-structured interviews with CSA actors and observations at network gatherings. The paper shows that local collaboration enables CSAs to integrate their supply chains (scaling out), engage their communities (scaling deep), and participate in food councils (scaling up), while further networking at regional level helps new initiatives start up. It also reveals competitive tensions between neighbouring CSAs, which constitutes a hitherto unknown challenge to CSA’s potential scalability.

It’s about time: temporal and spatial fixes find vertical farms and local food in the shadow of COVID-19

ABSTRACT This paper investigates what investments in shorter supply chains, especially post-outbreak (COVID), mean in relation to broader agrifood corporatization trends. The paper draws from 25 interviews with individuals connected to large-scale vertical farming operations in the US and Canada, from investors and executives of vertical agriculture firms to managers of restaurants and grocery stores that sourced from capital-intensive indoor farms. The spatial fix literature is used to interrogate this push to pursue local food in COVID’s shadow through capital-intensive vertical agriculture, noting these farms are as much about a time as they are about a place.

Mechanical characterization of homogeneous and hybrid beech-Corsican pine glue-laminated timber beams

This paper describes the results of an experimental investigation on novel homogeneous and hybrid beech-Corsican pine glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams made of short supply chain timber boards and melamine-based adhesive. The aim is to carry out the mechanical characterization of these glulam beams both in the homogeneous and in the hybrid configuration by four-point bending tests with different span to depth ratios of the specimens in order to differentiate bending and shear tests. The experimental results were fitted analytically as well as by means of Finite Element (FE) numerical simulations. Moreover, the stiffness of these novel beams is further evaluated, with respect to a comparison with a commercial product made of GL24h glulam. The experimental and numerical analysis point out the goodness of hardwood for the manufacturing of glulam beams, even in hybrid configuration in which the inner layers are made of low graded timber boards, with a great opportunity to optimize the raw material.

Factors Affecting the Intention to Expand The Business Scale Associated with the Short Supply Chain of Agricultural Products of Vietnamese Farmers

The article was studied with the aim of identifying and considering the extent of the influence of factors on the intention to expand the business scale associated with the short supply chain of agricultural products of Vietnamese farmers. Based on the planned behavioral theory model, the authors used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods such as measuring reliability testing through Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, EFA discovery analysis, correlation analysis, multivariate regression model analysis through data collected and surveyed with 486 observations. in Vietnam in 2022. The results showed that the intention to expand the business scale of agricultural producers is influenced by factors such as subjective norms, attitudes, perceptions of behavior control, business conditions, possible consequences. Since then, the article proposes to the state in supporting producers to develop a short supply chain model of agricultural products. Keywords: Short supply chain, Agricultural products, Planned Behavioral Theory, expansion, business scale. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-10-05 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

Short lifetime product supply chain coordination and social benefit considering cannibalization effect and market segmentation

Short lifetime product retailers often face the challenge of cannibalization between new and old products, which can negatively impact their profitability. They attempt to influence consumers’ choices through price differentiation, resulting in internal competition regarding products’ age and price. The pricing decisions affect market demand, sales volume, and as a result, the whole supply chain (SC) profit. This paper coordinates inventory and pricing decisions in a short lifetime product supply chain (SLPSC), considering the cannibalization effect. The investigated SLPSC includes a supplier and a retailer operating in a segmented market. Firstly, the optimal decisions of the SLPSC members are obtained under decentralized and centralized decision-making structures. Then, a new coordination contract named wholesale price and double compensation (WPDC) is designed to motivate the SC members to shift from the decentralized structure to the centralized one. The findings indicate that the coordinated model creates more economic profitability for the whole SLPSC than the decentralized one. Furthermore, the proposed WPDC contract is more beneficial for the SLPSC from a social viewpoint, as it increases consumer surplus. The results also demonstrate that when consumers are more sensitive to the product’s freshness, a price differentiation policy is more profitable than the same pricing.

Eating in Season—A Lever of Sustainability? An Interview Study on the Social Perception of Seasonal Consumption

Seasonality is a lever of sustainability. However, very little is known about the social perceptions of “in season” food consumption. We aimed to explore different French social groups’ perceptions of seasonality, “in season” food choices, and their respective advantages or disadvantages. We interviewed 73 individuals (general population = 32, clients of short supply chains = 28, Etiquettable (a sustainability app) users = 13). In-depth, semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions were conducted. Content and thematic, textual, and quantitative analyses were performed. We found four clusters of interviewees who differed in social backgrounds and motivations for eating “in season.” A social divide between individuals for whom “eating seasonally” was a priority (upper strata), and those who “eat unseasonally” (lower strata) was highlighted. An analysis of motivations showed a contrast between individuals who were familiar with seasonal food rhythms and aimed to support the local economy and the older generation for whom seasonal products gave better value for money. The implications of public action on sustainable consumption are discussed with respect to the knowledge of seasonality, targeted segments of the population, and a combination of arguments to encourage seasonal consumption.

Food shopping preferences in the context of logistic chains of food supplies on the example of consumers from the Podkarpackie voivodeship

The article focuses on consumers' dilemmas regarding the choice of food products. Growing consumer awareness is reflected in everyday choices and has both economic and public health significance. Public awareness is generating a tendency to pay attention to health aspects by choosing fresher, better quality and less processed products. Consumers are increasingly interested in short food supply chains and shortening the time it takes to move food “from the field to the table”. Purchasing behavior is conditioned, inter alia, by the individual hierarchy of values professed by the consumer, in which short food supply chains are identified with better quality, lower price and reduced trade margins. Preferences for local and regional products are also observed. The market provides such opportunities, as legal changes introduced in Poland in 2016–2017 enabled farmers to legally sell food products directlyin an unprocessed as well as processed state. Such sales are carried out in short supply chains. A similar phenomenon is also observed among farmers in many EU countries. Short food supply chains play an important role in the process of creating market advantage of agricultural producers, as food products are quickly delivered to the final recipient. Local markets become very important in this case and direct selling, which lost its importance at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, is gaining popularity again. Logistical food supply chains are considered in various scientific fields. They combine organizational and technical, economic, social as well as cultural, and health dilemmas. The aim of this study was to identify preferences of food supply chains in the context of consumer behavior of the inhabitants of south-eastern Poland. The survey was conducted using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method. The survey shows that respondents associate food quality with the length of the supply chain, in the declarative sphere, they prefer short food supply chains, but do not use them. A sizeable proportion of respondents said they were willing to pay slightly more for safe and wholesome food. Research has confirmed that the modern consumer increasingly recognizes the importance of the healthiness of products, and links this to shortening the food supply chain.

Chemical, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Properties of the Peel and Male Flower By-Products of Four Varieties of Punica granatum L. Cultivated in the Marche Region for Their Use in Cosmetic Products.

We are now seeing an increase in the production of agri-food waste, which is an essential resource for the recovery of bioactive compounds that may be employed as innovative natural ingredients in cosmetics. To date, the approach to cosmetics preservation has seen a significant shift in the search for biological components that give healthier alternatives for customers and help businesses operate in an environmentally friendly manner. To achieve this goal, we studied pomegranate extracts using the peel and, for the first time, extracts from the male flowers of a wide pomegranate variety cultivated in the Marche region, specifically, the Wonderful, Mollar de Elche, Parfianka, and less-studied G1 varieties. We studied the phenol compounds profile, antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial activity, and cell viability of the obtained pomegranate extracts. The identification and quantification of phenol compounds belonging to different classes, such as hydrolysable tannins, hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, dihydroflavonol, gallocatechin, and anthocyanins, were performed using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Punicalagin isomers and punicalin resulted in the most abundant polyphenols found in the peel and male flower extracts. Mollar de Elche 2020 peel extract revealed a high concentration of punicalagin A and B (7206.4 mg/kg and 5812.9), while the content of gallic acid revealed high results in the G1 and Parfianka varieties. All extracts were spectrophotometrically analysed to determine their total phenol content (TPC) using the Folin–Ciocalteu method and their antioxidant capacity (AC). In terms of the total phenol obtained by the Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric method, Mollar de Elche 2020 extracts reported the highest TPC content of 12.341 µmol GAE/g. Results revealed that the Mollar de Elche and Wonderful 2020 peel extracts demonstrated the highest TPC and AC. Furthermore, AC results indicated that the peel extracts displayed higher AC than the male flower extract due to the high punicalagin content detected by UPLC analysis. The antimicrobial activity testing revealed that the Wonderful and G1 2020 peel extracts resulted active against Escherichia coli, while all extracts exhibited promising anticandidal activity. Additionally, the cytocompatibility was evaluated in keratinocytes HaCaT cells by testing concentrations of pomegranate extracts ranging from 0.15 to 5.00 mg/mL. Extracts were non-toxic for the cells in the tested concentration range. The acquired results may help exploit pomegranate agri-food waste products provided by the Marche region’s short supply chain for their use as an antimicrobial and antioxidant booster in the formulation of cosmetic products.

Influence of Thermal Modification and Impregnation with Biocides on Physical Properties of Italian Stone Pine Wood (Pinus pinea L.)

The sudden availability of Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) wood due to the infestation of pathogenic fungi and insects highlighted the need to promote its use as a short supply chain resource in Italy and other Mediterranean countries. However, the durability of stone pine sapwood must be enhanced if outdoor use is to be considered. The impregnability of stone pine wood was studied following the standard EN 351-1:2008, using immersion, vacuum, and high-pressure methods with natural waxes and organic solvent-based and copper-amino-based preservative solutions. The efficacy of the impregnation was determined by calculating the kilos of preservative absorbed per cubic meter of wood and by measuring the penetration depth of the preservative. Thermal modifications were carried out using five different maximum temperatures, and their efficacy was determined by measuring the mass loss and color change. Subsequent to thermal treatments, the wood was exposed to a water-vapor-saturated atmosphere, and the increase in mass was calculated for different periods. Stone pine and Scots pine sapwoods showed similar response to the treatments with the exception of soaking impregnation methods where stone pine showed higher uptake, in particular when Silvanolin was used. Our investigation shows that stone pine can be a suitable short supply chain resource in Italy that, when impregnated, could be tested for outdoor use, exactly as is the case with Scots pine.

Self-Sufficiency Assessment: Defining the Foodshed Spatial Signature of Supply Chains for Beef in Avignon, France

Foodshed approaches allow for the assessment of the theoretical food self-sufficiency capacity of a specific region based on biophysical conditions. Recent analyses show that the focus needs to be shifted from foodshed size portrayed as an isotropic circle to a commodity–group-specific spatial configuration of the foodshed that takes into account the socio-economic and biophysical conditions essential to the development of local food supply chains. We focused on a specific animal product (beef) and used an innovative modeling approach based on spatial analysis to detect the areas of the foodshed dedicated to beef feeding (forage, pasture, and grassland), considering the foodshed as a complex of complementary areas called an archipelago. We used available statistical data including a census to address the city-region of Avignon, France covering a 100 km radius. Our results showed that the factors driving the use of short supply chains for beef feeding areas are the foodshed archipelago’s number of patches, the connectivity between them, and the rugosity of the boundaries. In addition, our beef self-sufficiency assessment results differ depending on geographical context. For instance, being located within the perimeters of a nature park seems to help orient beef production toward short supply chains. We discuss possible leverage for public action to reconnect beef production areas to consumption areas (the city) via short supply chains (e.g., green, home-grown school food programs) to increase local food security through increased local food self-sufficiency.

Legal Instruments to Support Short Food Supply Chains and Local Food Systems in France

The aim of the study is to identify legal instruments, implemented in France, supporting short food supply chains and, more generally, local food systems. The research has identified these tools from a variety of domains and levels, including national laws, government policies, and local government initiatives, and analysed them in relation to various forms of short supply chains present in French territory, which are the key components of local food systems, such as direct marketing, producers’ stores, basket systems, urban agriculture, and deliveries to public catering. Overall, the French instruments are multiple, diverse, mostly innovative, take into account social, environmental, and solidarity values, and can be good examples to follow. Most of them are established at the local level, being thus an expression of new models of local food governance, corresponding to the values of a participative economy and food democracy.

Ascorbic acid as alternative treatment for sulfur dioxide to control rot incidence and keeping the quality of ‘Flame Seedless’ grapes during short supply chain

ISHS V Asia Symposium on Quality Management in Postharvest Systems Ascorbic acid as alternative treatment for sulfur dioxide to control rot incidence and keeping the quality of ‘Flame Seedless’ grapes during short supply chain

Downscaling Food System for the ‘Public City’ Regeneration. An Experience of Social Agriculture in Trieste

The relationship between food and cities has been recognized as an area of interest for urban planning only recently, thanks to measures adopted at various government levels, locally and internationally. Rethinking the processes of food production, distribution, sale, consumption and recycling in a sustainable and socially equitable way can contribute to making cities fairer, healthier and more resilient to climate change. Starting from these premises, our contribution explores, in particular, the hypothesis that rethinking the relationship between food and urban space can provide an opportunity to promote socio-spatial regeneration processes of public housing neighbourhoods, through projects and actions that involve their inhabitants. This hypothesis is argued starting from a project experience developed in Borgo San Sergio, a district of Trieste, Italy, which aims to consolidate and enhance practices of cultivation and distribution of food, but also of environmental education. The aim of the project is to create a short supply chain in which social agricultural enterprises are involved. The critical reflection stemming from the case study outlines some possible fields of intervention for an urban planning practice aimed at bringing the food system back to an urban and local scale—downscaling—with social and environmental justice goals consistent with the European Green Deal.

Short Food Supply Chains and Small Farms—Evidence from Slovakia

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) is a concept that is relatively new in the conditions of the Slovak Republic, but is developing significantly, mainly with the support of EU policies (CAP, RDP). This paper is focused on the evaluation of the performance of the micro and small agricultural enterprises in short supply chains in the Slovak Republic. We focus on the evaluation of selected economic indicators of small agricultural enterprises and micro-enterprises depending on their participation and non-participation, respectively, in SFSC. Next, we demonstrate the linear relationship between the researched primary and secondary data of enterprises operating inside and outside of the SFSC. Analysing the selected data, we state the ability of farmers operating in the SFSC to produce added-value products and improve their social situation. Additionally, the advantages and disadvantages of associating farmers with SFSCs are demonstrated.

A New Edge Computing Architecture for IoT and Multimedia Data Management

The Internet of Things and multimedia devices generate a tremendous amount of data. The transfer of this data to the cloud is a challenging problem because of the congestion at the network level, and therefore processing time could be too long when we use a pure cloud computing strategy. On the other hand, new applications requiring the processing of large amounts of data in real time have gradually emerged, such as virtual reality and augmented reality. These new applications have gradually won over users and developed a demand for near real-time interaction of their applications, which has completely called into question the way we process and store data. To address these two problems of congestion and computing time, edge architecture has emerged with the goal of processing data as close as possible to users, and to ensure privacy protection and responsiveness in real-time. With the continuous increase in computing power, amounts of memory and data storage at the level of smartphone and connected objects, it is now possible to process data as close as possible to sensors or directly on users devices. The coupling of these two types of processing as close as possible to the data and to the user opens up new perspectives in terms of services. In this paper, we present a new distributed edge architecture aiming to process and store Internet of Things and multimedia data close to the data producer, offering fast response time (closer to real time) in order to meet the demands of modern applications. To do this, the processing at the level of the producers of data collaborate with the processing ready for the users, establishing a new paradigm of short supply circuit for data transmission inspired of short supply chains in agriculture. The removing of unnecessary intermediaries between the producer and the consumer of the data improves efficiency. We named this new paradigm the Short Supply Circuit Internet of Things (SSCIoT).

Urban Farming Models, Ecosystems and Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Environments: The Case of SATURN Pan European Programme

The “System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes” (SATURN) project is exploring how resilience at a city scale might be achieved and how the issues of landscape fragmentation, governance and land management can be addressed resulting in a sustainable future. The EIT Climate-KIC SATURN project is based on a collaboration between three cities of very different scales and contexts, those of Gothenburg in western Sweden, Trento in northern Italy, and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. This paper focuses on the ways in which urban farming can become an important tool to mitigate or adapt to climate change in urban environments by exploring how the three major cities of SATURN deal with these concepts. Using the experience gained throughout the SATURN project as well as the strong communication developed within the consortium, the paper introduces the reasons why urban farming is not just an agricultural activity, but it relates to climate awareness, health and an element of community. With the examples of different urban farming models, this research presents the fully entrepreneurial model of Gothenburg, where a business model fosters sustainable and successful small-scale farming through municipal management of small allotments with associated basic infrastructure leased out to entrepreneurs. Public underutilized land is matched with farmers in order for them to scale up their businesses and provide sustainable food, by limiting the shipping distance of the produce. In the Trento case, bottom-up and more institutional processes have been combined to foster short local supply chains through the Nutrire Trento networking process which could benefit from the introduction of a land lease scheme named “banca della terra” (to support agricultural land recovery). The case of Birmingham presents a different model where farming in an urban environment is mostly seen as a support to communities, mental health and awareness, rather than an entrepreneurial activity. The innovation in this paper comes in the form of different European models related to urban agriculture and best practices, demonstrating how abandoned and underutilised public and private land can be regenerated and become an active part of the urban realm. Insights on the ways in which the three different models operate, as well as results on how farming in an urban environment can enhance resilient cities are discussed in this paper. Keywords: urban farming, climate change, landscape ecosystems, entrepreneurial agriculture, community farming

Multi-Actor Social Networks: A Social Practice Approach to Understanding Food Hubs

Food hubs are collaborative entities that strategically manage the assemblage, delivery, and promotion of food from a range of local food producers. They are essentially multi-actor institutions, involving horizontal collaboration between producers and vertical collaborations up and down the food chain, involving all actors required to bring food products from producers to consumers. Although food hubs offer many advantages to both producers and consumers, they remain a recognisably neglected research topic in Europe. Furthermore, the strategic networks of actors involved in these collaborative entities is often overlooked. Empirically, this study draws from a collection of ‘good practices’ gathered for the Short Supply Chain Knowledge and Innovation Network (SKIN) EU-funded H2020 project. Drawing on a social practice approach and network diagrams, this article explores the good practices of three food hub typologies. This study primarily investigates the context in which food hubs practice multi-actor food provision. We apply social practice as a lens to ’zoom in’ and explore the shared materials, meanings and skills that aid such systems of provision. Social network diagrams are utilised to ‘zoom out’ to examine and facilitate the detection of key actors involved in food hubs’ strategic networks. This research addresses the lack of academic attention on European food hubs by placing practice as the central unit of focus. Our approach enables better comprehension of what constitutes a short food supply chain (SFSC) when orchestrated within three main typologies of food hubs. The findings are of interest to researchers, policy makers, agricultural development intermediaries, and actors involved in systems of food provision who are interested in understanding and supporting the functioning of SFSCs.