An Integrated Loss-Based Optimization Model for Apple Supply Chain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to systematically review and critically examine food losses and waste quantification in supply chain, especially in studies that tackle all the supply chain activities in a real context.Design/methodology/approachThis work employed a systematic literature review methodology on the extant literature focusing on peer-reviewed journal articles published from 2000 to 2019.FindingsA systematic analysis of 117 articles reveals that downstream supply chains are studied to a greater extent than upstream supply chains, with an emphasis on consumer waste. The findings also highlight more than half of the articles focus on only one supply chain activity. In terms of the methodologies, surveys and modelling methods are the most used to measure food losses and wastes, adopt monetary, carbon emission and calorific metrics. This study highlights that while food losses and waste research remains a relevant field of study, it has yet to been fully explored.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limit is the adoption of a systematic review method for food losses and waste quantification in supply chain.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that supply chain managers should invest in acquiring more knowledge about food losses in the global network. Upstream supply chains should be more studied and integrated with the downstream supply chains. Using combined direct and indirect methods has the potential to deal with the contradictions of quantification, the lack of data and reduce losses over time and space.Originality/valueBased on this review as the first one focusing exclusively on quantification of food losses and waste in supply chain context, the authors develop an aspiring research agenda that proposes opportunities for future research.HeadingsWe analyse 117 studies addressing food losses and waste quantification.Downstream food supply chains are more studied than upstream food supply chains.Case studies of food supply chains in developed countries are more prolific.The main metric to quantify food losses and waste is weight.

Agricultural food supply chain is a complex system starting from the production of food on a farm to the table of the consumer involving multiple stakeholders and a variety of processes. In recent years, the food supply chain has grown rapidly across nations, with customers demanding fresh, exotic foods all year round. The global shutdown due to the COVID pandemic has further complicated the food supply chain which has become prone to various contaminations and adulterations. Adulterated food is highly toxic to human health leading to several health issues, nutritional deficiencies, kidney disorders, and failure of vital organs. The existing systems used in the food supply chain do not provide enough transparency, traceability, food safety, or consumer trust. With today’s Big Data integrated supply chains, such technologies are highly ineffective. In order to ensure food safety and consumer satisfaction, this chapter proposes using blockchain as an efficient technology to provide transparency, traceability, and trust in food supply chains. The chapter discusses the significance of smart agriculture and how blockchain might help agricultural supply chains that have Big Data incorporated overcome their difficulties. A thorough description of exclusive applications of blockchain in Big Data integrated food supply chains is provided. The chapter also describes how blockchain is integrated into each stage of the food supply chain management process and explores the challenges in implementing blockchain in Big Data integrated food supply chain systems.

The EU's Farm to Fork strategy aims to ensure that agriculture and food value chains contribute appropriately to converting the EU to a climate-neutral Union in 2050 by decreasing food loss (and waste). The paper focuses on the potential of the EU transitional agriculture, circular policies, and new regional perspectives in reducing food loss among food supply chain stakeholders. Combining sustainable supply chain analysis and local case studies on policy implementation, this paper addresses beef farmers in North Karelia, Finland, where beef production is based on a multistage farming system of growing bulls progressing food loss control along food supply chains. Findings indicate that chances to achieve a zero level of food loss in North Karelia are challenging, if not unlikely. Despite the challenges, North Karelian beef farmers are not without hope. The North Karelian beef farming system holds significant potential for improvement, where inspiring challenges to achieve zero food loss among North Karelian farmers is not impossible. This article evaluates farmers' ability and willingness to implement the Farm to Fork strategy, affecting the overall level of food loss. It assesses the means and the proportion of losses that should be reduced.

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

Food, water and energy are three fundamental areas of strategic importance that are closely interrelated for the survival of all living organisms and preserving a healthy ecosystem. Meeting the sustainable food needs and fighting hunger to ensure adequate, balanced and healthy nutrition for the increasing world population are among the top priorities of countries and international organizations. Food loss and waste are important problems globally. Food loss is defined as the decrease in the quantity and the quality of food as a result of the decisions and actions of food suppliers in the stages of the food production chain from primary production to distribution,whereas food waste refers to the decrease in the quantity and quality of food as a result of the decisions and actions of retailers, food service providers and consumers. Food loss and waste throughout the food supply chain begin at the field and farm stage in primary production and goes through a complex and multi-factorial process that includes storage, transportation, processing, packaging, retail and consumption stages. Food loss and waste vary greatly from country to country and even within the same country, depending on product type, geographical region and socio-economic factors. In high- and middle-income countries, food loss and waste occur mainly at the distribution and consumption stage, and in lowincome countries at the production and post-harvest stages. The global dimensions of food loss and waste are significant and cause environmental, social and economic risks and threats. Some 1,3 billion tons of food, approximately 1/3 of the total food produced worldwide, is lost and wasted annually. The economic loss caused by food loss and waste is approximately 1 trillion US dollars every year. Food loss and waste cause unnecessary use of 20-23% of the agricultural production area,24% of water consumption and 20-23% of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Food loss and waste cause 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. About 38% of the total energy expenditure in the food supply chain is wasted through food loss and waste. Türkiye is one of the leading countries globally that waste the most food at the level of end consumer. According to the 2021 report of the United Nations Environment Program report, the United Nations Environment Program, 93 kilograms per person, a total of 7,7 million tons of food, is wasted every year at home, food service places and food vendors in Türkiye. Studies and policy targets reveal that approximately half of global food loss and waste can be prevented, and even if one quarter of it is prevented, the global hunger problem may be solved. In this context, reducing food loss and waste will make significant contributions to ensuring price stability by reducing production costs and fighting hunger, food security and healthy nutrition, sustainable environment and agriculture and food systems through mitigating climate change impacts, biodiversity protection, efficient use of agricultural lands and water resources. This chapter provides information on the global dimensions of food loss and waste and its social, economic and environmental impacts.

The global food supply chain needs to evolve to meet a 50 percent increase in food demand by 2050. While food production grows every year, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 25 percent of roots and tubers, 20 percent of fruits and vegetables, 8 percent of grains and pulses, and 13 percent of animal products are lost before distribution. The majority of such losses are attributed to inadequate monitoring and poor handling during storage and transport. Moreover, the handling of produce in the supply chain also impacts its nutritional content and shelf life. Such losses, when coupled with the rising frequency of epidemics and climate events, further exacerbate the problem of food security for the global population. In addressing the problem of food loss in the supply chain, the biggest hurdle is the lack of traceability and information. On one hand, precision farming helps improve food production efficiency. On the other hand, useful insights post-harvest are not measured due to cost limitations. The ones that are measured often end up in silos or are lost. To overcome these challenges, we propose a framework that leverages low-power IoT sensing networks, smart edges, and data-driven optimization to re-invent the supply chain. In this work, we derive from lessons learned while working with various agricultural supply chain partners and share insights based on some technology solutions that we have explored. We take a bottom-up approach in analyzing the major challenges faced by today's food supply chain. Starting with individual food pallets, we propose ways to develop an agile and low-cost data pipeline that can sense and track the food as it moves through the global supply chain. Further, we propose a dedicated optimization framework that can leverage cloud analytics to boost sustainability and efficiency in the global food chain to meet the growing demand.

The world is at a critical moment in the fight against food loss and waste, with momentum building to address the 1.3 billion tons of food that is lost or wasted each year. But action is not yet at a pace needed to achieve SDG Target 12.3 by 2030. The report Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Setting a Global Action Agenda identifies a three-pronged approach to halve food loss and waste by 2030. The report calls on governments, companies, farmers, consumers, and everyone in between to: “Target-Measure-Act”: Set food loss and waste reduction targets, measure to identify hotspots of food loss and waste and monitor progress over time, and take action on the hotspots; pursue a short “to-do” list per player in the food supply chain as “no regret” first steps toward taking action; and collaborate on 10 “scaling interventions” to ramp up deployment of Target-Measure-Act and the to-do list. There are enormous benefits to reducing food loss and waste. Successfully halving food loss and waste would close the gap between food needed in 2050 and food available in 2010 by more than 20 percent. It would avoid the need to convert an area the size of Argentina into agricultural land. And it would lower greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 gigatons per year by 2050, an amount more than the current energy- and industry- related emissions of Japan. This report has been produced by World Resources Institute with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, and in partnership with United Nations Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council, Iowa State University, The University of Maryland’s Ed Snider Center, The Consortium for Innovation in Postharvest Loss and Food Waste Reduction, Wageningen University and Research, the World Bank, and WRAP.

This chapter proposes sustainable supply chains in agrifoods, achieved through logistical strategies to minimize food waste and losses. Proposals will recover organic and inorganic waste and reincorporate it into the supply chain or add it to new chains through new products generated from food waste. A literature review is presented regarding the causes of food losses and waste within the supply chain and the strategic opportunities in the logistical process to reduce such losses. The creation of models that include the three dimensions of sustainability in food logistics is required in order to achieve a reduction in waste and food losses in transport, as well as to minimize costs and environmental impacts. If a correct sustainable logistics is carried out, it would favor the reincorporation of waste into new supply chains.

Despite the fact that the modern economy relies heavily on industrialization, Bangladesh's agricultural sector continues to be the country's primary source of revenue. Agriculture in Bangladesh has traditionally served as a driver of the country's sustained economic growth and development, and this trend will likely continue in the foreseeable future. However, the contribution of agriculture to the growth of non-agricultural sectors has maintained an increasing trend over time in Bangladesh, despite the large drop in the proportion of GDP attributable to agriculture over time. As a result, the agricultural sector continues to serve as an indispensable engine for the expansion of the country's economy. However, the process of agriculture's supply chain is notoriously difficult to understand. The connection between the consumer and the farmer is made by intermediaries. The accessibility of the market, the sort of product being sold, and other factors all have a role in determining the total number of intermediaries in the supply chain. Studies that were done in the past on the food supply chain in Bangladesh claim that there are a large number of intermediaries involved, and that these intermediaries skim off a significant amount of the price paid by customers as profit. Within the primary distribution channel, there are five different kinds of middlemen. Faria, Beparies, and Arathdar are the three primary mediators in this situation. Faria acted as a middleman for a number of small traders who operated their businesses inside three or four local markets. They were only responsible for a relatively little volume of product. Beparies are professional buyers who purchase agricultural goods from farmers or farias at the neighborhood market or in the community itself. Arathedar are agents who act between bepari and retailers and charge a fixed commission for the service of supplying storage space. They are considered to have a fixed establishment and serve as fixed commission agents. The agricultural supply chain in Bangladesh is significantly bolstered by the presence of these middlemen. The majority of Bangladesh's vegetable farmers do not have a formal education. They have a little understanding of how to offer their vegetable goods to the general public. Therefore, Faria, Beparies, and Arathdar are the means by which they market their product. At the intermediate level, the most significant aspects of marketing functions include transportation, storage, grading, financing, market intelligence, pricing, and other similar aspects are handled by the intermediaries.

Rapid increasing population of Indonesia poses a future threat to the food supply for the national demand. Furthermore, global climate change is putting a strain on the food supply chain. Droughts, floods, landslides, and pest/disease attacks all have serious consequences for agricultural production, particularly food crops. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) data published in 2017, Indonesia ranks second in the world in terms of food loss and waste contribution, chasing only Saudi Arabia. Moreover, according to the Food Sustainability Index in the Economist Intelligence Unit (2017), Indonesian food loss and waste or uneaten totalled 1.3 million tons in a single year. In Indonesia, the most common method of dealing with food waste is dumping or landfilling, which produces methane and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. This research was conducted by employing quick survey for colecting primary data and desk evaluation study for collecting secondary data. Meta analysis was employed in this research. Therefore, to emphasize the importance of reducing food loss and waste in Indonesia to reduce food insecurity caused by climate change, this paper investigates how food loss and waste exacerbates climate change. This paper outlined some scenarios for preventing food loss and waste at all stages of the food chain, including agricultural production, post-harvest handling and storage, distribution and consumption behaviour, and government policy, which can be implemented to begin initiatives to reduce food loss and waste to address the threat of future starvation in Indonesia because of climate change.

Purpose: The aim of the research was to analyse and evaluate logistic processes implemented in the food supply chain in the military system in peace conditions and to propose possibilities for improving these processes. Design/Approach: The research was conducted using qualitative methods. As part of the research procedure, process analysis was carried out using the method of modelling logistics processes in the food supply chain implemented in a selected object of study (a military university from Poland). To analyse and evaluate the examined processes they have been presented in the form of graphical maps developed using the iGrafx software. Findings: The results of the study indicate that innovative solutions (technological and organisational) have a significant impact on the efficiency of the food supply chain. It is necessary to support logistic processes with traceability and RFID technology as well as adaptation to EU requirements in the field of short supply chains and building partnerships under civil-military cooperation. Practical Implications: The results can be used to improve the operation of the food supply chain for military units in peacetime by improving logistics processes using innovative methods of traceability to identify and track the flows of goods (food). Conducted analyses have significant practical implications for the design of new or modernising agility supply chains in military units in peacetime. Originality/Value: Due to the importance of these issues for the effective implementation of logistics processes in the military system, it is necessary to understand and promote the aspect of improving the food supply chain in a scientific and practical dimension. The specificity of the system of military supply chains, high level of rigidity and multi-faceted risk analysis limits the possibility of using common solutions on the civil market.

Since it is an important human need and many organizations are involved in the value chain, the agricultural food supply chain is exposed to various risks that arise naturally or through human actions. This study aims to develop the application of a quality function deployment approach to increase the resilience of the food supply chain by understanding customer needs and logistical risks in the food supply chain. In-depth studies with empirical analysis were conducted to determine the importance of customer needs, food supply chain risks, and actions to improve supply chain resilience of SMEs in the agri-food industry. The result shows that the top three customer needs are "attractive, bright color", "firm texture" and "fresh smell". The top three risks in the agri-food supply chain are "improper storage," "Harvest Failure" and "Human Resource Risks" and the top three resilience actions are "continuous training," "preventive maintenance," and "supply chain forecasting." The implications of this study are to propose an idea that broadens the perspective of supply chain resilience in the agri-food industry by incorporating the needs of customers in considering how to mitigate the existing risks to the satisfaction of customers, and it also highlights the relatively low skill and coordination of the workforce in agri-food supply chains.

Background: Sustainability in food supply chains is desired for production, logistics, and waste management. However, food supply chains (SCs) have complex systems that differ from other SCs. Managing such complexities is challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to their heightened constraints, such as limited resources and inadequate awareness. Despite the challenges, there is fragmented research, understanding, and approaches to assist SMEs. SC designs need to be adapted so that SMEs can navigate the challenges and avert high wastage. The main objective of this research was to identify the practices influencing sustainable SC designs in a developing country and create a simulation model to illustrate the potential benefits and challenges of promoting sustainability in the banana SC in Malawi. Methods: Mixed-methods research was utilised, employing a literature review, participant interviews, observations, and survey data collected from 353 participants from three districts in Malawi to gain insight into the banana SC problem, establish objectives, and develop a simulation model complemented by design science research. Results: The research identified awareness, collaboration, efficiency, governance, knowledge sharing, and resilience as sustainability practices in the case study banana SC, thus forming a sustainability model. Simulation results showed improvements in key performance indicators like shelf-life, lead-time, quality, throughput, and waste through SC operation reorganisation. Conclusions: Sustainable models must be tailored to the specific challenges inherent in developing food supply chains in developing nations. The development of the models has significant managerial implications, notably enhancing strategic planning, operational efficiency, risk management, alignment of sustainability goals, performance monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and resource optimisation.

SummaryThis article explores the impact of the ‘Quadruple Whammy’ consisting of Brexit, COVID‐19, Conflicts (Russia‐Ukraine and Israel‐Palestine) and Natural disasters on the food supply chain in Europe. This research adopted a two‐phase methodology comprised of the e‐Delphi technique followed by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses) approach within the context of these four identified challenges. The objective of this article is to analyse the challenges faced by the European food supply chain due to these four factors. The article examines the impact of political isolationism such as Brexit on trade, cost and border controls, while also discussing the effects of COVID‐19 on labour, supply chains and the rise of e‐commerce. In addition, the article examines the impact of conflicts on food access and availability and the role of international aid and assistance. The effects of natural disasters, such as the Turkish and Moroccan earthquakes, floods in Spain and Portugal and the Moroccan drought, on food security are also analysed. The article offers several strategies for taming the quadruple whammy, such as investing in local food production and supply chains, diversifying supply chains and trade partnerships and strengthening food safety regulations and standards. The importance of building resilience and preparedness in the face of these challenges is emphasised and the article concludes with final thoughts and recommendations.

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to present research trends in the food supply chain in the context of changes in food systems due to globalization, urbanization, environmental concerns, technological changes and changes in food consumption patterns in the world.Design/methodology/approachThe present investigation was performed by bibliometric analysis using the VOSviewer software, visualization software developed by Nees and Waltman (2020). In this work we performed co-citation, bibliographic coupling and keyword evolution analyses.FindingsThe results show that research in the food supply chain is rapidly changing and growing. By applying co-citation analysis, The authors found that the intellectual structure of the food supply chain has evolved around six clusters, namely, (a) collaboration and integration in the supply chain (b) sustainable supply chain management, (c) food supply chain management (FSCM), (d) models for decision-making in the food supply chain, (e) risk management in the supply chain and (g) quality and food logistics in the supply chain. However, based on bibliographic coupling analysis, The authors find that new or emerging research niches are moving toward food supply market access, innovation and technology, food waste management and halal FSCM. Nevertheless, the authors found that the existing research in each of the thematic clusters is not exhaustive.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of the research is that the analysis mainly relates only to the bibliometric approach and only one database, namely, Scopus. Broader inclusion of databases and deeper application of content analysis could expand the results of this research.Originality/valueThere are limited studies that have examined research trends in food supply chains in both developed and developing countries using bibliometric analysis. The present investigation is novel in identifying the thematic research clusters in the food supply chain, emerging issues and likely future research directions. This is important given the dynamics, consumer demand for quality food, technological changes and environmental sustainability issues in food systems.