Sustainability Performance of Local vs Global Food Supply Chains: The Case of Bread Chains in Italy

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in the potential of local foods and short food supply chains to overcome the unsustainable practices of global/industrial food supply chains. The opposition between local and global food systems is being questioned together with the actual sustainability performance of food chains. The assessment of the sustainability of food chains is challenged by the multiple dimensions to be considered, the diversity of actors involved, and the lack of a shared methodology. This paper presents a preliminary result of the EU research project Glamur (Global and Local Food Assessment: a multidimensional performance based approach) and develops a comparative assessment among three wheat-to-bread chains in Italy in relation to their degree of localness and different dimensions of sustainability. We develop a comparative assessment on two critical attributes of sustainability: nutritional value of bread and biodiversity preservation. The assessment is based on a set of indicators selected within a DPSIR framework. This allows to shed light on synergies and tradeoffs between local and global chains and potential paths for sustainability improvement.

Towards sustainable and resilient short food supply chains: a focus on sustainability practices and resilience capabilities using case study

“…The European Network for Rural Development defines SFSCs in relation to the reduction of intermediaries and physical distance between the producers and consumers (Peters, 2012). The French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry suggests that SFSCs are those systems that involve only one or fewer intermediaries (Galli and Brunori, 2013).…”

“…Other positive social sustainability practices from shortening the food chain are consumer empowerment, promotion of healthy diets and social inclusion (Jarzebowski et al, 2020). Increased fairness is also created through higher prices, and the ethical recognition and appreciation of the producers' work (Galli and Brunori, 2013).…”

“…Regarding environmental sustainability practices, the fundamental capacity of SFSCs to shorten food chains is said to have a positive impact on the reduction of food miles and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Forssell and Lankoski, 2015). SFSCs favour and rely on organic or ecological production methods and therefore tend to minimise the negative environmental impacts associated with the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides, and fertilisers, monocropping, etc (Galli and Brunori, 2013). SFSCs can also deliver reduction in food waste and energy use (Jarzebowski et al, 2020).…”

Conflict and oppositions in the development of peri‐urban agriculture: The case of the Greater São Paulo region

“…Both in developing and developed countries, these agricultural activities are taking place to respond to the demands of urban populations, contributing to increasing people's food and nutrition security and being effective actions to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (Lal, 2020). These new demands have shown great diversity (Galli & Brunori, 2013) and a strong capacity for innovation in recent years, particularly with the establishment of short food supply chains for the city. These models, through which minimal intermediaries are established between the producer and the final consumer and the traceability of food products, present themselves in diverse organisational forms but share the same central base of support and appreciation of social relationships (Kneafsey et al., 2013).…”

Consumption:the elephant in the room

“…Firstly, insights are dispersed in a literature that tends to focus on a few case studies and rarely engages with the wide diversity of AFNs. Emerging as a response to the 'standardization, globalization, and unethical nature of the industrial food system', AFNs share in common a concern with the product quality, the creation of relationships of trust between consumers and producers, the sourcing of local produce (Edwards, 2016:2), and addressing unequal distributions of power in the supply chain (Galli et al, 2013). However, there is wide variation in the ways that AFNs set about addressing these issues (Grivins et al, 2017).…”