Logistics Best Practices for Regional Food Systems: A Review

Abstract

Abstract:The modern industrial food supply system faces many major environmental and social sustainability challenges. Regional food systems, in which consumers prefer geographically proximate food producers, offer a response to these challenges. However, the costs associated with distributing food from many small-scale producers to consumers have been a major barrier to long-term regional food system success. Logistics best practices from conventional supply chains have the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of regional food supply chains (RFSCs). This paper provides a structured and in-depth review of the existing literature on RFSC logistics, including recommended and implemented best practices. The purpose of the review is to provide RFSC researchers and practitioners with convenient access to valuable information and knowledge derived from years of experimentation and research. This information will help to inform practitioners' implementation decisions and to increase researchers' awareness of the existing work on RFSC logistics, the unmet needs of practitioners, and topics that have not been fully explored, yielding insights into potential future directions for RFSC research. The overarching aim of the paper is to facilitate improvements in RFSC logistics, thereby improving regional food system viability.

Spatial Considerations for Implementing Two Direct-to-Consumer Food Models in Two States

“…Further, a rationale for buying locally grown produce is that shorter farm-to-consumer distances reduce the costs and environmental impacts of transportation. While some have found DTC approaches to have a smaller carbon footprint [24], few individual farms have the capacity to build infrastructure that is sufficiently efficient to rival that of the conventional food system [25]. When selecting pickup sites, farmers also need to consider the proximity and density of grocery stores and other DTC venues, as these outlets might either discourage or enhance CSA participation.…”

Evaluation of Supply Chain Using Hierarchical Analysis

“…The results obtained indicate that wholesale turnover for the considered regions of Russia is insignificant when substantiating the differences in the volume of production. However, a lot of works suggest that it is the wholesale that contributes to the promotion of products in the market and its development is important for manufacturers (Sadigh et al, 2013;Wu et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2017;Ge et al, 2018;Mittal et al, 2018). In the author's opinion, such results indicate an ineffective organization of the sales chain, which largely retained the shortcomings of the centralized distribution system of goods of the Soviet period.…”

“…As noted by scientists, "small-and medium-scale producers have great difficulty in accessing market outlets", "large buyers face logistics and information obstacles" (Ge et al, 2018). Many studies are aimed at determining the most effective path of motion of products from producers to consumers (Wu et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2017;Mittal et al, 2018). The reason is that "a supply chain, an interrelating network of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers, plays an important role in competitive markets to satisfy customer demands" (Sadigh et al, 2013).…”

It’s All in the SKU: Getting Food from Somewhere from the Field to the Dinner Plate while Using a Large Scale Retailer

“…Finally, creating an inventory management and ordering system for the responsible retailer to put the benevolent wholesaler model into use, and to ensure that it is effective for consumers, is a primary challenge for regional food system logistics [27]. Creating a system of information distribution for consumers, be it signage, an online database, or otherwise, would require a good deal of initial setup, however, such systems already exist and can be modified from existing software.…”