We distinguish different types of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC); nevertheless, their common main characteristic relate to reduced numbers of intermediaries between farmers/food producers and consumers. The aim of the paper is to present the SFSCs as local and sustainable food systems with their possible development. The SFSC idea follows the concept of sustainability, which is based on three pillars: environmental, social, and economic. In the paper, the authors also highlight other barriers to growth, and challenges faced by local food systems.
Sustainability is increasingly a priority in the policies of the European Union, especially in the Common Agricultural Policy. This paper focuses on Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, and the Farm to Fork Strategy in an attempt to establish a relationship with the European Union’s trade policy. Three selected components of the agri-food sector—the food supply chain, agri-food quality standards, and global trade—are examined in relation to defined sustainability aspects. The aim is to understand the interrelationship between the three components with specific regard to sustainability, to highlight their high complexity and current relevance, to contribute to systematic analysis in this area, and to present current progress. This qualitative‒explorative study is empirically supported by a survey of market experts, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States is used as an example. The results show the complexity between the relationships of the three components with a focus on sustainability and reveal a deep uncertainty. The most notable results are the limited level of knowledge and the insufficient attention from business representatives to sustainability aspects. Finally, the study identifies the state of integrating a sustainable perspective into European Union trade policy and provides suggestions for further research.
Railway transit forms the backbone of sustainable transportation systems, which are necessary to limit the effects of global warming. In this paper, the authors seek to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in energy consumption between distinct railway vehicle types. Firstly, the energy consumption measurement methods in the railway transportation sector are described and compared to each other in respect to precision and cost. Secondly, the use of energy consumption as a criterion in rolling stock tenders with the associated norm is analysed, particularly with regard to the life-cycle cost of railway vehicles. In the next part real life data on energy consumption of six distinct passenger electrical railway vehicle types is presented and analysed in order to compare the efficiency of different types of rolling stock. The differences in energy efficiency between rolling stock types may be used to improve the procurement process ensuring train operating companies obtain less energy-consuming vehicles.
Rapid globalization of the agrifood industry has important impacts on international trade and quality management (QM). Likewise, the European Union has negotiated a series of bilateral free trade agreements. Of note was the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States of America, where the debate focused on the mutual recognition and harmonization of quality standards, especially for agricultural and food products. This topic offered the mainstream media excellent substances for coverage. This paper explores German print media, television, and radio on the importance of international quality standards in the agrifood sectors in light of the TTIP. A quantitative and qualitative empirical content analysis was performed to investigate media reporting regarding (a) it is scientific character, (b) the use of the term “quality standards” of the agrifood industry, and (c) the reporting on the agrifood industry and QM linked with TTIP, focused on harmonization. The results showed that interrelations between QM and global trade were not presented to recipients in-depth. A trend toward information asymmetries in recipient’s knowledge is indicated. The study addresses recommendations for future collaborations between media, policy-makers, and further cooperation in the mutual recognition and harmonization of quality standards and control procedures within global trade.
Since 2013, the European Union has been negotiating with the United States of America a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). A controversial topic in the negotiations are the different quality standards in the agri-food sectors of both negotiating partners. In order to put into force a FTA all the EU Member States have to agree to the implementation of the contract. Poland has been a full EU Member State since 1 May 2004 and gained a strong position within the EU. Thus, the importance of this EU Member State is of great relevance to the EU's trade policy. The main objective of this article is to analyse Poland's trading position and its domestic interests. The study primarily aimed at investigating the awareness of the TTIP in the agri-food sector with focus on the quality standards of this industry. There has been no in-depth discussion of this sensitive issue within Polish companies of the sector yet. In particular, the study identified an uncertainty regarding the application and interpretation of international standards in cross-border customersupplier relationships of food supply chains. For this reason, it is recommended to define these uncertainties and develop proposals for the harmonization and exploitation of synergies. In summary, the results have relevance for the sector.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.