Food supply chains are increasingly asked to deliver sustainable products in a sustainable manner. Sustainability affects every segment of the supply chain and it is a key driver of innovation today. Even so, many companies are still reluctant to more environment-friendly investments. Public procurement through its "power of purchase" is one of the most influential means through which the state can effect behavioural change in economy and society. Forcing sustainable improvements in its suppliers, public procurement can have a huge influence over the food system, but organisational innovation is needed in logistics and supply chain management. In the food sector, fish supply chain is one of the most critical in terms of sustainability due to the overexploitation of oceans' resources, the decline in wild fish stocks and the big amount of waste generated along the chain from the ship to the consumers' plate. In this paper we report on our experience in innovating the logistics and the management of the fish supply chain for the school canteens of the city of Rome, in which around 150.000 pupils have lunch every day. The innovation consists of the introduction of fresh, organic, farmed fish of locally grown species transformed in attractive recipes, accurately studied based on the nutritional needs and the level of appreciation of the young consumers, instead of frozen, few wild fish presented in boring and tasteless preparations such as boiled fillets and breaded sticks. Examining the barriers and the solutions adopted, we explain how public procurement can become a creative force for sustainable development in the fish supply chain. A qualitative case study methodology is used where catering managers and staff, fish suppliers and distributors, food procurement officers, dieticians and nutritionists are interviewed. The innovations in logistics, organisation and management are defined in interaction with all the actors of the chain involved in the research and implemented under several different conditions. Observations of the feasibility of the supply chain, from production to consumption, are conducted to assess the results. Findings show an example of good practice in the area of sustainability in the food supply chain and illustrate the substantive progress that can be made in achieving supply chain sustainability. At the same time, the paper provides the specific challenges in developing a management model in which the power is more balanced along the chain and where a holistic approach requires to be taken to reach sustainable improvements. Considering the scarcity of work examining empirically the issue of sustainability in food supply chains, this study demonstrates the evolutionary process and its stages based on the examination of the Rome school canteens' supply chain and the sustainability approach it has taken with its suppliers. The author also illustrates a range of key implications that need to be considered by both managers and policy makers and it provides a range of areas where further research is required.

Innovative logistics and supply chain management for sustainable food public procurement

Pagliarino E
2015

Abstract

Food supply chains are increasingly asked to deliver sustainable products in a sustainable manner. Sustainability affects every segment of the supply chain and it is a key driver of innovation today. Even so, many companies are still reluctant to more environment-friendly investments. Public procurement through its "power of purchase" is one of the most influential means through which the state can effect behavioural change in economy and society. Forcing sustainable improvements in its suppliers, public procurement can have a huge influence over the food system, but organisational innovation is needed in logistics and supply chain management. In the food sector, fish supply chain is one of the most critical in terms of sustainability due to the overexploitation of oceans' resources, the decline in wild fish stocks and the big amount of waste generated along the chain from the ship to the consumers' plate. In this paper we report on our experience in innovating the logistics and the management of the fish supply chain for the school canteens of the city of Rome, in which around 150.000 pupils have lunch every day. The innovation consists of the introduction of fresh, organic, farmed fish of locally grown species transformed in attractive recipes, accurately studied based on the nutritional needs and the level of appreciation of the young consumers, instead of frozen, few wild fish presented in boring and tasteless preparations such as boiled fillets and breaded sticks. Examining the barriers and the solutions adopted, we explain how public procurement can become a creative force for sustainable development in the fish supply chain. A qualitative case study methodology is used where catering managers and staff, fish suppliers and distributors, food procurement officers, dieticians and nutritionists are interviewed. The innovations in logistics, organisation and management are defined in interaction with all the actors of the chain involved in the research and implemented under several different conditions. Observations of the feasibility of the supply chain, from production to consumption, are conducted to assess the results. Findings show an example of good practice in the area of sustainability in the food supply chain and illustrate the substantive progress that can be made in achieving supply chain sustainability. At the same time, the paper provides the specific challenges in developing a management model in which the power is more balanced along the chain and where a holistic approach requires to be taken to reach sustainable improvements. Considering the scarcity of work examining empirically the issue of sustainability in food supply chains, this study demonstrates the evolutionary process and its stages based on the examination of the Rome school canteens' supply chain and the sustainability approach it has taken with its suppliers. The author also illustrates a range of key implications that need to be considered by both managers and policy makers and it provides a range of areas where further research is required.
2015
Istituto di Ricerca sulla Crescita Economica Sostenibile - IRCrES
Fish supply chain
Logistics
Management
Organisational innovation
Public procurement
Sustainability
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14243/308415
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