Perishable food supply chain quality (PFSCQ)

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of the perishable food supply chain quality (PFSCQ). It includes all the products/process from the farm to folk of perishable food (milk, meat, vegetable, grains and butter). Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of a structured literature review involves selection of a representative sample of articles followed by classification of articles on the basis of research methodology and content of PFSCQ in the paper. Findings – Research toward PFSCQ has risen in last five years. Fewer articles are addressing issues of developing countries then developed countries. Majority of the articles involved multiple as entity of analysis (combination of supplier, distributor, manufacturer, retailer and consumer), information as element of exchange and chain as the level of analysis. A large number of articles involved “agri-food,” “dairy” and “pork” as perishable products. Majority of articles used “case study” methodology. Statistical analysis as a tool for problem solving was used in majority of articles. Performance measurement aspect is also on growth in PFSCQ literature. Information sharing, logistic management, strategic management, demand forecasting and integration among the various stakeholders of PFSCQ are some of the critical issues. Originality/value – Many literature reviews that aim at critical examination of supply chain literature are reported but none of them focussed exclusively on content of PFSCQ. Another unique feature of this paper is that the sample size of articles with respect to number of papers (481 papers) as well as number of journals (141 journals) is quite large. The paper spans a longer time span of 20 years (1994-2013) as well.

Response of Fresh Food Suppliers to Sustainable Supply Chain Management of Large European Retailers

“…In sum, in the case of perishables, the relevant literature recognizes a series of both generic and specific trends that are closely related to each other, such as quality [39,40], uncertainty handling [41], health, SSC, CO2 footprint, and inter-modality [42], whose degrees of actual implementation in the chain are unknown.…”

“…Taking into account the particular characteristics mentioned above, six factors can be considered as playing a fundamental role in designing of a perishables supply chain [11]. These factors are (see Figure 2): (i) production scheduling [43,44], (ii) transportation [29,45,46], (iii) location of intermediate facilities [47,48]; and, transversally, (iv) guarantee of quality and food safety [49][50][51], (v) sustainability [4,39,52], and (vi) coordination-collaboration-communication among actors, including the end customer [53][54][55][56]. It is important to note that quality and food safety are differentiated from other sustainability variables, primarily because these concepts are so vital to the agri-food chain that they become a separate entity (that is, they are a necessary condition).…”

“…Retailers must establish their own policies regarding actions aimed at improving these variables, essentially urging their suppliers to adopt such practices. How quickly the latter adapts to this system is crucial for maintaining a satisfactory relationship for both parties [39,57].…”

“…Retailers must establish their own policies regarding actions aimed at improving these variables, essentially urging their suppliers to adopt such practices. How quickly the latter adapts to this system is crucial for maintaining a satisfactory relationship for both parties [39,57]. With this framework in mind, we may ascertain whether the small enterprise supplier of perishables is capable of satisfactorily responding to the requirements of their client (the retailer) with respect to the fundamental aspects that define the strategic plan of the supply chain.…”

Assessment of top management leadership and commitment to improve perishable food supply chain quality

“…the SP of supply chain contains economic, environment and social performance. Siddh et al (2015) also stated about the SP of perishable food supply chain.…”