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.

support, encouragement and guidance. I was often challenged, which made my time worthwhile and the work fulfilling. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Richard Stone and Dr. Christina Bloebaum for their input and feedback on my work. Additionally, I would like to thank my colleagues, Anuj Mittal and Hardik Bora for taking the time to introduce me to local food research. They were always willing to help and made my time in graduate school more enjoyable. I also want to thank Ellen Walsh-Rosmann and the participants of my pilot study. Ellen provided a lot of insight and knowledge of regional food systems, and my study would not have been possible without the participants. Lastly, I want to thank all of my family and friends for their continuous support and encouragement throughout my time at Iowa State.