The food bank resource allocation problem

Gómez-Pantoja, J. Álvaro; Salazar-Aguilar, M. Angélica; González‐Velarde, José Luis

doi:10.1007/s11750-020-00581-y

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alkaabneh et al (2021) develop a resource allocation framework for food banks using approximate dynamic programming that allocates food donations in a way that maximizes total nutritional value. Gómez-Pantoja et al (2021) consider the allocation of a set of food items by food banks to beneficiaries while taking into account the beneficiaries' priorities, calories and nutrition received, and compatibility with the received products. Islam and Ivy (2022) study the problem of allocating the counties to branches in a food bank's service region to minimize cost while seeking an equitable and effective food distribution policy.…”

Section: Food Bank Operations Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equitable distribution of perishable items in a food bank supply chain

Orgut

Lodree

2023

Production and Operations Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the United States, food banks play an important role in helping to reduce the rate of food insecurity by distributing donated food among the population in need. One of the challenges that food banks face is to equitably distribute food donations among their clients such that, ideally, each recipient receives the same amount of food. They aim to do so while minimizing waste that occurs due to spoilage and capacity limitations. Perishable food items present specific challenges since they are susceptible to spoilage and need to be distributed before their expiry dates. Based on our longstanding partnership with a large food bank located in the southeastern United States, we present a capacitated, multiperiod, multiproduct network flow model to help them equitably and effectively distribute perishable food donations among the food‐insecure population in their service region. The model is applied within the context of a case study and reveals managerial insights that would be useful to practitioners. Our findings show that although equity is one of the food bank's highest priorities, inequities cannot be eliminated completely. Given the inevitability of inequitable food allocations in practice, this paper provides food banks guidance on how to strategically control inequities using two approaches: (i) by increasing the number of periods for which equity should be satisfied or () by allowing deviations from a perfectly equitable distribution. The results show that modest deviations from perfect equity using either approach can lead to significant improvements in both the quality and quantity of food distributed and can also reduce food waste. While approach () is preferable, the most desirable outcomes occur when both are applied simultaneously. We also find that county capacities inhibit a food bank's ability to achieve balance between equity and effectiveness when distributing perishables. Our framework provides food banks the flexibility to balance the trade‐off between effectiveness and equity based on their preferences.

show abstract

Section: Food Bank Operations Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equitable distribution of perishable items in a food bank supply chain

Orgut

Lodree

2023

Production and Operations Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In such situations, many operations are related to providing services involving the acquisition and movement of materials: storing, collecting and delivering food and medicine; supporting hospitals with supplies; and handling materials for shelter, products and materials from donations (Kovacs and Sigala, 2021). In this context, it is challenging to understand SCM and the business flow constituted in such operations (Gómez-Pantoja et al. , 2020).…”

Section: Theoretical Contextualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, establishing partnerships helps with needs, such as those related to the donation of goods (Heaslip and Kovacs, 2019; Rasouli, 2019). Humanitarian actions that require SCM similar to that in business operations are those related to the formation of food banks to fight hunger, including inventory management, purchases, product compatibility, and the means of collection, distribution and delivery (Gómez-Pantoja et al. , 2021).…”

Section: Theoretical Contextualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a lack of studies exploring the practices adopted in HSCs that can be aligned with those of BSCs (Charles et al. , 2010; Gómez-Pantoja et al. , 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1) Studies related to HSCs, compared to BSCs, are still under development (Vega, 2018;Zhao and Liu, 2018). There is a lack of studies exploring the practices adopted in HSCs that can be aligned with those of BSCs (Charles et al, 2010;G omez-Pantoja et al, 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Humanitarian actions of a cultural center during the Covid-19 pandemic: an analogy with supply chain business processes

Vivaldini

Iglesias

2022

JHLSCM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThis study intends to map the supply chain and characterize the business processes of a cultural center in an aggregated and coordinated operation to serve families in need during the Covid-19 pandemic. This case study analyzes distinct aspects of humanitarian management capable of contributing to the management of commercial supply chains.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a case study approach, this research contextualizes the view on humanitarian supply chains related to the importance of participating organizations' engagement and the relationship and similarity with business organizations.FindingsThe study presents the model adopted to undertake the aid operations, maps the cultural center's humanitarian supply chain, clarifies the relationships and operations developed and compares the business processes with those of commercial chains. Possibilities and initiatives are discussed that can contribute to business organizations' greater engagement in humanitarian actions.Research limitations/implicationsRestricted to one case involving the cultural center and the other agents researched, the information and considerations are limited, and any generalization should be treated with caution.Practical implicationsThe study is a practical example that clarifies how business organizations can engage in the supply chain of humanitarian institutions. It also illustrates ways to help these institutions improve their fund-raising initiatives.Social implicationsThis study is justified by the representativeness of humanitarian actions in critical periods such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The study also presents potential ways to contribute to operations of this nature and to encourage business organizations to improve participation in humanitarian movements.Originality/valueMany studies on the subject have highlighted the importance of comparing humanitarian and business supply chains through real case research.

show abstract