The Effects Of The Food Supply Chain

Food security, defined as the ability to provide sufficient food for the global population relying on a healthy and sustainable nutrition (Godfray et al., 2010), is likely to become one arduous challenge to the following decades. The predictions of The United Nations, in which the world’s population by 2075 will achieve about 9.5 billion people (Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 2013), suggest that modern and efficient measures must be taken to follow the prospective food requirements. Researchers propose that one way to achieve these requirements is by reducing food waste, since estimations show that around a third to a half of the available food will does reach the human stomach (Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 2013). This essay …show more content…
Consequently, food losses may happen in any of the stages of the food supply chain, depending mainly on three different types of population defined by their economic development (Institute of Mechanical Engineers, 2013). These groups are classified and described by Parfitt et al. (2010) as “developing”, “transitional” or “industrialised countries”. Firstly, the researchers suggest that in developing countries, marked by new economies and growing population (such as some sub-Saharan African countries), the food waste happens during the first stages, due to their obsolete harvesting methods and technology. Secondly, when related to transitional and growing economies (like China and Brazil), the food loss is identified in areas connected with transportation and storage, requiring a more efficient distribution and connection system between the producer and the consumer (such as roads, rail and ports infrastructure). Finally, the industrialised countries (like the USA and some countries in Europe), known by their strong economy and sophisticated technologies, face problems related to the consumers and market behaviour, in which the dietary and local demand transcend the