Tomato Supply Chain Research Articles

The governance of transitions in agri-food systems: evidence from the processing tomato supply chains in Spain and Italy

The governance of transitions in agri-food systems: evidence from the processing tomato supply chains in Spain and Italy

Concentration, market imperfections, and interbranch organization in the Italian processed tomato supply chain

AbstractThe increase in market concentration and market power in the food supply chain is an issue of concern globally. This study focuses on an analysis of market imperfections in the Italian processed tomato food supply chain by considering changes in its supply chain governance from 2006–2018. The identification of the degree of non‐competitive behavior is based on the derived mark‐down and mark‐up models using the latest developments in stochastic frontier methodology. The estimated models reveal some degree of non‐competitive behavior in the input as well as in the output processing market. However, in consideration of the results on the supply chain governance during the study period, we argue that the establishment of an Interbranch Organization (IBO) could create fairly stable long‐term food supply chain relationships benefitting all IBO members and in particular farmers despite the significant change in concentration levels in the Italian tomato processing sector after 2015.

Assessing the Downstream and Upstream Preferences of Stakeholders for Sustainability Attributes in the Tomato Value Chain

Effectively implementing innovations in agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) is contingent upon stakeholders’ preferences. Using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the objective of this research was to ascertain the degree of willingness among farmers, consumers, and various stakeholders (including processing companies, restaurants, and retailers) in the tomato supply chain of Catalonia (Spain) to shorten the chain and promote local procurement. Based on a set of social, economic, and environmental criteria encompassing sustainability in AFSCs, the results showed that economic factors, particularly profitability and affordability, were the key driving factors in the decisions of stakeholders. However, the considerable importance placed on strategic attributes, including local production, environmental sustainability, and product quality, particularly among consumers, seemed to present a chance to advocate for sustainable alternatives, such as short food supply chains (SFSCs). The AHP methodology facilitates differentiation with respect to the criteria of the decision-making process and serves as a valuable instrument for evaluating the reception of innovations within the AFSC and categorizing the stakeholders who exhibit the greatest interest in them. In order to improve the sustainability of agri-food systems, our findings may be incorporated into strategic plans developed by policymakers.

Impact of Revenue Generated via Composting and Recycling of Wastes Produced in the Greenhouse Tomato Supply Chain on Reducing Income Inequality: A Case Study of Türkiye

Impact of Revenue Generated via Composting and Recycling of Wastes Produced in the Greenhouse Tomato Supply Chain on Reducing Income Inequality: A Case Study of Türkiye

A game-theoretical approach on the construction of a novel agri-food supply chain model supported by the government

In this study, a novel government-backed agri-food supply chain model (GBASM) is introduced among farmers and agricultural enterprises in their respective market. In the GBASM, the government provides subsidies to each member of the supply chain to encourage them to collaborate on a common economic platform. A game-theoretic perspective is established among farmers and agricultural enterprises to determine whether or not they should participate in this new model for their economic benefits. In this regard, a Nash game is proposed in which the Nash equilibrium is derived as the mixed equilibrium strategy, assuming that farmers and agricultural enterprises are two rational actors cooperating over market price in the GBASM. In numerical experiments, two sample models are examined based on the parameter values of each participant, and the grey wolf optimizer algorithm is utilized to derive mixed decision-making strategies from a variety of scenarios considered for each sample model. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to assess the impact of the GBASM on the decision-making processes of farmers and agricultural enterprises. The integration of the GBASM into a case study of the tomato supply chain in Buenos Aires, Argentina, confirms the robustness of the model and creates economically feasible and consistent pricing structures within the local area.

Research on Traceability of Agricultural Product Supply Chain Information

Traceability of agricultural product supply chain information has become an important issue due to increasing concerns about food safety and quality. In this paper, we propose a traceability system that utilizes blockchain technology to ensure the transparency and integrity of agricultural product supply chain information. The system includes a data collection and storage module, a blockchain-based traceability module, and a user interface module. We tested the system on a case study of a tomato supply chain, and the results show that the system is effective in tracing the entire supply chain and detecting anomalies. The proposed traceability system can provide consumers with reliable information about the origin and quality of agricultural products, and can also help producers and distributors to improve their supply chain management.

Management of Postharvest Losses and Wastages in the Indian Tomato Supply Chain—A Temperature-Controlled Storage Perspective

Tomatoes are an extensively cultivated and consumed horticulture product in India. Horticulture produce undergoes a series of operations such as harvesting, storage, packaging, loading, unloading, and transportation before reaching the end customer in the food supply chain (FSC). Any inefficiencies in these operations cause postharvest losses (PHL) and affect the whole FSC. However, the focus of existing studies has been more on improving productivity than addressing PHL. Several technologies, such as cold storage and evaporative cooling, are available to address PHL, but hardly any technology has been implemented in the Indian FSC. Hence, studies need to identify technology adoption barriers and perform a feasibility analysis of the available technologies. This study addresses this gap by first identifying the cause and effect of PHL in the Indian tomato FSC, exploring different technologies to address the PHL and challenges in implementing those technologies, and finally proposing a feasible option to manage PHL. The case study approach was followed for the collection of relevant data. The findings show several reasons for PHL across the stages of the FSC, including reduced shelf life due to improper storage and long-distance transport. Based on the analysis of the available technologies, temperature-controlled storage facilities and collaboration among FSC partners are suggested as the best possible solutions to address the problem of PHL.

Mitigating impact of risks on economic integration between entities in agrifood supply chain

The paper aims to assess and reduce the risks associated with infrastructure, financial, natural and environmental, farm management, and political changes among smallholders in tomato supply chain entities. Uncertainties related to the producer, buyer, infrastructure, finance, natural and environmental, management, and political changes in STSC take into account risk levels' assessment. These threats were assessed using Fuzzy Linguistic Quantifier Order Weighted Aggregation (FLQOWA) model. The obtained results showed the level of risk arising in production, cooperation, infrastructure, and financial issues. At the same time, measures to reduce risk levels were taken in the study. According to the results, applying "written contract" and "insurance" to collaborative relationships to reduce risk levels has been shown to reduce risks to 0.6 coefficients. The results obtained from this investigation will have a positive effect if policymakers use the applications to increase the economic cooperation between the subjects in STSC.

Multitiered Fresh Produce Supply Chain: The Case of Tomatoes

The United States is one of the world’s top producers of fresh tomatoes. However, the industry supply chain is not well understood with little attention in the literature. To attend to this literature gap and to better inform business decisions and policy making, it is crucial to understand the industry structure on a deeper level. Applying a supply chain mapping approach, this study presents a complete picture of the U.S. fresh tomato supply chain with valuable insights into the fresh produce industry and lays the groundwork for future research on solving supply chain issues.

Risk Mitigation Strategies in the Tomato Supply Chain

Tomatoes produced by smallholders in the summer season in Uzbekistan provide a significant part of the population’s demand for tomato products. However, tomato production in smallholders is based on the principles of the free market economy and is operating at high risk. The paper aims to assess and reduce the level of risks associated with infrastructure, financial, natural and environmental, farm management and political changes among entities in the smallholder tomato supply chain. Uncertainties related to producer, buyer, infrastructure, finance, natural and environmental, management and political changes are taken into account in the assessment of risk levels. These threats were assessed using Fuzzy Linguistic Quantifier Order Weighted Aggregation (FLQOWA) model. The obtained results showed that the level of risk arising in production, cooperation, infrastructure and financial issues was high. At the same time, measures to reduce risk levels were taken in the study. According to the results, application “written contract” and “insurance” to collaborative relationships to reduce risk levels has been shown to reduce risks until 0.6 coefficients. The results obtained from this investigation will have a positive effect if policy makers use the applications to increase the economic cooperation between the subjects in STSC.

Food loss of perishable produce from farm to retail: evidence from tomato supply chains in South India

ABSTRACTBackgroundReducing food loss and waste (FLW) may narrow gaps between fruit and vegetable production and recommended intake. However, FLW estimates are inconsistent due to varying estimation methods.ObjectivesUsing multiple estimation approaches, we examined the extent and determinants of FLW along tomato supply chains in South India, from farm to retail. We also explored tomato quality assessments.MethodsWe surveyed 75 farm households and 83 tomato traders in the Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, and 52 vegetable traders and 50 vegetable retailers in Hyderabad, Telangana, on harvest and market days. We calculated declared FLW values using participant-reported losses to estimate the preharvest quality FLW and quantitative FLW values at the farmer, vegetable-trader, and vegetable-retailer stages. We calculated the destination FLW based on counted crates diverted to loss destinations, using participant-reported destinations (animal feed, field discard), to estimate the postharvest FLW from farm to retail. We used pile sorting with farmers to explore on-farm quality assessments.ResultsThe average preharvest quality FLW was 13.9% of harvested tomatoes. From farm to retail, the quantitative FLW was greatest at the postharvest, farm level. Among all harvests, the median postharvest, farm-level FLW was 0.0% (IQR, 0.0%–7.9%) using the destination FLW approach (tomatoes diverted to nonfood uses) and 2.3% (IQR, 0.0%–12.5%) using the declared FLW approach (P < 0.05). Among harvests with a non-zero postharvest, farm-level FLW, the median FLW was 9.1% (IQR, 2.4%–16.7%) using the destination FLW approach (tomatoes diverted to nonfood uses) and 10.0% (IQR, 2.9%–16.7%) using the declared FLW approach. Harvesting during peak season was a determinant of postharvest, farm-level and preauction, market-level FLW values. Farmers prioritize color/ripeness attributes while harvesting and tomato size while grading.ConclusionsSingle-point estimates may obscure FLW patterns for perishable, indeterminate crops and depend on data collection and estimation methods. Reducing FLW of perishables requires the integration of quantitative and qualitative FLW estimation methods.

Towards circular economy in the agrifood sector: Water footprint assessment of food loss in the Italian fruit and vegetable supply chains

In recent years, the agrifood sector has been relevantly impacted by resource shortage, food loss and waste across the whole supply chain. This study assesses, from a life cycle perspective, the water footprint of the fruit and vegetable losses occurring within the Italian agrifood supply chain, analyzing the potential linkages between circular economy policies and water management.The study methodology consists of three consequential steps: the definition of system boundaries, the data collection from databases and reports, and the processing of said data. Based on data availability of food losses, the following food items were chosen for the analysis, representing about 60% of the Italian fruits and vegetables domestic supply: tomatoes and onions for the macro-group of vegetables; orange, lemons, apples and grapes for the macro-group of fruits.Assessing the water footprint for the six categories of products, this study found out that, although less than other products, the amount of grapes lost along the supply chain determines a very high percentage of water loss. The tomato supply chain has proved to be the most sustainable in terms of water loss, due to the low amount of water needed to cultivate tomatoes. The analysis of the Italian trade market of fruits and vegetables has shown that water losses are mainly due to imports from France and Spain, in line with the high trade volumes. Finally, a weakness of the Italian fruit and vegetable supply chain was observed in the transport phase, because in this phase large quantities of food loss are associated with large volumes of water loss.Far from being the only tool to be used in the decision-making processes, the assessment of water loss embodied in the food loss, can be useful for managing the supply chain processes of perishable foods, ensuring process yield improvements, food quality traceability and environmental impact mitigation.

Assessment of the Pesticides Utilization and the Pesticide Residues Presence in Fresh and Tomato Products for the Tomato Supply Chain in Rwanda

Pesticide residues are either natural or synthetic and are found in most edible products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and other processed products. Excess of these pesticides’ residues is unsafe for consumption due to regulatory measures. Thus, it is beneficial to assess the level of residues of pesticides in the food diet in order to improve the standard of living of the population. This study intends to assess the pesticide usage and residue levels of selected pesticides in fresh tomatoes in the supply chain of Rwanda. The results of the study confirm that there are around 10 brands of pesticides used in Rwanda. 58.97% of the surveyed people around the country are males and 71.79% of farmers apply rockets as the main pesticide. More than 22% of surveyed farmers affirmed to consume the raw or/and unwashed tomatoes. This study revealed that the residues of the active ingredients contained in the pesticides are accumulated in unwashed tomatoes and the quantity of such residues is shown in this study. Deltamethrin was 0.64 ± 0. 009 mg·kg?1 in tomatoes collected in Rusizi district, cypermethrin 1.1435 ± 0. 0375 mg·kg?1 in tomatoes collected from Gisagara District, mancozeb residues was 0.620 ± 0.000 mg·kg?1 in tomatoes collected from Rusizi district. The results of the study also show that pesticide residues are not found in the washed tomatoes. Therefore, the detection of pesticide residues in unwashed tomatoes in some samples indicates the malpractice of residues among farmers in Rwanda. Also, consumers eating the unwashed fresh tomatoes are recommended to wash the tomatoes before use.

Supply chains for processed potato and tomato products in the United States will have enhanced resilience with planting adaptation strategies.

Food systems are increasingly challenged to meet growing demand for specialty crops due to the effects of climate change and increased competition for resources. Here, we apply an integrated methodology that includes climate, crop, economic and life cycle assessment models to US potato and tomato supply chains. We find that supply chains for two popular processed products in the United States, French fries and pasta sauce, will be remarkably resilient, through planting adaptation strategies that avoid higher temperatures. Land and water footprints will decline over time due to higher yields, and greenhouse gas emissions can be mitigated by waste reduction and process modification. Our integrated methodology can be applied to other crops, health-based consumer scenarios (fresh versus processed) and geographies, thereby informing decision-making throughout supply chains. Employing such methods will be essential as food systems are forced to adapt and transform to become carbon neutral due to the imperatives of climate change.

Economic and environmental consequences' of postharvest loss across food supply Chain in the developing countries

Reducing Food losses and waste (FLW) is a key global challenge to ensure sufficient food for the future and to use available natural resources more efficiently. This study based on the primary data collected from 343 tomato supply chain actors' in Egypt. We adopted the life cycle assessment approach and the category method (C-Method) to estimate the percentage of postharvest losses (PHL) and their economic and environmental impacts. The result revealed the average percentage of PHL is ‏13.36%, 7.5%, 8.6%, 8.8% and 11.63%‏ for the ‏‏ ‏farmers, processors, village traders', wholesalers and retailers respectively. The total land and water used to produce this lost food estimated around 80 thousand hectares and 306 million cubic meters, besides the other production inputs. Which cost the Egyptian economy about 449$ million annually and emits 4.5 million tons of CO2eq. The study highlights the importance of prevention strategies is better than recovering ones to mitigate the economic and environmental impacts of FLW. Additionally, diversity of the marketing channels for perishables could contribute to lessen the percentage of PHL through reducing unsold share, meet the consumers’ preferences and providing greater marketing opportunities for small farmers. This study suggests the intervention of mitigation PHL should include the different actors from the farmers to retailers. Adopting a short supply chain, collective marketing, access to cold transportation and storage services, that could maintain product quality and extending its shelf-life. Agricultural education is essential for disseminating the best agricultural practices including the postharvest operations for perishable products. Therefore, design sustainable intervention strategies require intensive public-private partnership and it should include incentives for small stakeholders. That could raise their knowledge, improve their skills and practices, and change their attitudes to be more sustainable users for the limited natural resources.

Design of multi-objective sustainable food distribution network in the Indian context with multiple delivery channels

The paper addresses the design of a sustainable multiple-channel fresh food distribution network, which serves three purposes. Firstly, it addresses the changing preferences of consumers for online retailing. Secondly, the model investigates the distribution network of Buy Online Pickup in Store (BOPS) in the context of food supply chain. Thirdly, the model formulates new farming laws passed by the Indian government which allows the farmers to sell their produce as per their choice and removes the constraint of selling in the government regulated Mandis. To address the problem, a multiple-channel multi-objective fresh food distribution network model is developed. The model takes sustainability into consideration by formulating economic (total cost minimization), environmental (emission minimization) and social (delivery time minimization) objectives. A combination of an epsilon constraint and linear programming (LP) metrics method is used to solve the model. The applicability of the model is verified through a case study of a fresh tomato supply chain in India. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate the different distribution strategies. Results show that demand ratio plays an important role in the identification of the optimal design with respect to the three objectives considered.

A brief overview on valorization of industrial tomato by-products using the biorefinery cascade approach

The industrial processing of tomato leads to substantial amounts of residues, typically known as tomato pomace or by-products, which can represent as much as 10% by weight of fresh tomatoes. At present, these residues are either used as feedstock for animals or, in the worst case, disposed of in landfills. This represents a significant waste because tomato pomace contains high-value compounds like lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, cutin, which can be used as a starting material for biopolymers, and pectin, a gelling agent. This article presents an overview of technologies that valorize tomato by-products by recovering added-value compounds as well as generating fuel for energy production. These technologies include operations for extraction, separation, and exploitation of lycopene, cutin and pectin, as well as the processes for conversion of the solid residues to fuels. Data collected from the review has been used to develop a biorefinery scheme with the related mass flow balance, for a scenario involving the tomato supply chain of Regione Campania in Italy, using tomato by-products as feedstock.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NET INCOMES FOR SUPPLY CHAIN ACTORS OF FRESH TOMATO IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

The study compared the net farm income of fresh tomato supply chain actors (SCAs) among central, western and northern zones of Bauchi State. Primary data were collected with the use of a structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 658 supply chain actors (producers, wholesalers, and retailers). The data collected were analysed using farm budgeting technique and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result reveals net incomes of N186025.35, N321883.48 and N 66858.45 for producers, wholesalers and retailers, respectively. Also, the study shows returns per naira invested on every one naira as N0.78, N0.29 and N0.2, minimum net incomes of N -314058.33, N -2499400, N-80250.00 and maximum net incomes of N979826.67, N 4929150.00, N 368050.0 for producers, wholesalers and retailers, respectively. The result shows significant differences in the net incomes of wholesalers and produce; wholesalers and retailers; and between retailers and producers at p &lt; 0.05 and P&lt;0.01 was observed. The result further reveals minimum costs incurred as N115122.50, N253450.00, N73470.00 and maximum costs incurred as N 805658.33, N4026350.00 and N 725570.00 for the SCAs. The result indicated significant differences in costs incurred between wholesalers and producers, wholesalers and retailers at P&lt;0.01. The study concluded that fresh tomato production and marketing in the study area was profitable among the supply chain actors. It can also be said that there was significant differences in both the net incomes obtained and costs incurred by the supply chain actors among the zones. The study recommends that decisions on fresh tomato production and marketing be adjusted and re-established so as to optimise their profits. Also, SCAs can sell their products online by registering their product and location. This will allow easy access of the product by customers and it will help broaden fresh tomato market, which in turn will increase the income of the supply chain actors in the study area.

Logistic Value Chain Analysis as an Approach to Modelling Tomato Supply Chain: Structural Market Evidence from Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan, Nepal

Logistics value chain is a complex process where demand uncertainty, price fluctuation, and supply management turn decisive for profitable returns. Tomato supply chain in Chitwan district of Nepal, due to disorganized marketing channel, was in the condition of disruption. Keeping this point in view, a study was undertaken to study about the approaches to understand how supply chain could be modified through improved value chain performance. A total of 180 respondents were interviewed, including farmers, traders, processors, distributors, and the consumers and the data was analyzed using both descriptive and analytical statistics. The results revealed that the B/C ratio and break-even price was 2.07 and NRs. 58235 (1 NRs. =0.0085 US$) respectively, indicating that tomato is a profitable enterprise. Value chain analysis was performed by following the components designed by Porter. The result further revealed that wholesalers were the most benefited actors along the chain. Farmers were observed to add the maximum value to the product. Several constraints were reported to weaken the marketing channel; price fluctuation, lack of marketing information, wholesaler’s dominancy over retailers, and faulty marketing system being the major problems. It is recommended that the government and concerned stakeholders need to focus on formulating the policies regarding marketing channel, determining floor and ceiling price for tomato, and encourage the actors to perform value-addition activities so that consumers can get the maximum utility.

Biodegradable Food Packaging Materials and Prospects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Tomato Fruit and Product Handling.

The environment and food safety are major areas of concern influencing the development of biodegradable packaging for partial replacement of petrochemical-based polymers. This review is aimed at updating the recent advances in biodegradable packaging material and the role of virtual technology and nanotechnology in the tomato supply chain. Some of the common biodegradable materials are gelatin, starch, chitosan, cellulose, and polylactic acid. The tensile strength, tear resistance, permeability, degradability, and solubility are some of the properties defining the selection and utilization of food packaging materials. Biodegradable films can be degraded in soil by microbial enzymatic actions and bioassimilation. Nanoparticles are incorporated into blended films to improve the performance of packaging materials. The prospects of the fourth industrial revolution can be realized with the use of virtual platforms such as sensor systems in authentification and traceability of food and packaging products. There is a research gap on the development of a hybrid sensor system unit that can integrate sampling headspace (SHS), detection unit, and data processing of big data for heterogeneous tomato-derived volatiles. Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and artificial neutral network (ANN) are some of the common mathematical models for data interpretation of sensor systems.