Order id #1513078164Task Topic Journal Article Review 5

Running Head: JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW 1

JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW 6

Food Waste Reduction as a Challenge in Supply Chains Management

A Journal Article Review

Victoria Robinson

Dr. Brooke Quigg

BUSI 613

Liberty University

1 August 2020

Journal Article Review

Ocicka, B., & Raźniewska, M. (2018). Food waste reduction as a challenge in supply chain management. LogForum, 14(4), 549-561.

Author’s Purpose

Most of the companies operating in the global market have been looking for ways to remain sustainable. Since most of these companies depend on strategic supply chain management, they are faced with a sustainable supply chain management problem. Most companies and organizations dealing with the supply of food materials face the problem of making their services and operations sustainable. Therefore, most companies require a high level of innovation to provide solutions to the challenge of food waste in the supply chain based on the triple bottom line concept of best practices. Thus, the research conducted was to analyze the waste of food through all the value chain sectors. The writer decided to explore the activities that might help reduce food wastage across the supply chain sectors and how different organizations are trying their best to cope with food reduction challenges in the operations of supply chain management and its framework (Ocicka & Raźniewska, 2018). Since it has been a challenge all through to most organizations, looking for ways of how to handle it is in the best interest of different multinational companies and organizations.

Application of Supply Chain Management Theory

The supply chain management theory deals with a situation where raw materials and finished goods should be done decently across the value chain sectors. Since food wastage and waste management, in general, are a problem that most companies face and supply chain managers find it challenging to deal with, it is essential to study more on the same. Most managers are faced with negative influences of food waste and search for improvements (Genovese et al., 2017). Therefore, reducing food wastage in the supply chain management becomes an essential aspect of management in supply chain operations. There is a significant requirement for the management of food in the supply chain to avoid wastage. The same can be easily handled under the framework directive, which determines the collection, transportation, recovery, and disposal of food waste.

There are stages where supply chain management theory is based on, and the application of food waste reduction in the value chain is connected to the stages of the sector. The stages of food supply chain management include production, post-harvest, handling, storage, processing, distribution, and consumption. There are high possibilities that wastage will be experienced at these stages; thus, reducing the same will better manage the supply chain. This forms the application of supply chain management theory and food wastage reduction in the value chain (Genovese et al., 2017).

Background of The Issue

Waste management has been both an economic, social, and environmental problem which most managers across different organizations and companies are trying to deal with for sustainability. One aspect of waste management is food wastage, which must be managed well across the companies. The production and supply of food materials depend on supply chain management. This means that there is a high need by the companies to make sure that wastages across the value chain are reduced and managed well to help solve both the economic, social, and environmental problems posed by this challenge (Ribeiro et al., 2018).

Food and Agriculture Organization has outlined different scales with which food wastage can be categorized. Food loss is the process in which the quantity or quality of the food available for consumption is reduced or decreased across the different value chain segments. This definition decided to include food waste under food loss. When wastage occurs, the quality of the food will be decreased. Nevertheless, since food wastage can be categorized as all the food that has been taken out of the supply chain, it was earlier discovered that it leads to implications in both the economic, social, and environmental aspects of human life.

To manage food security globally, the different organizations and companies must come up with ways of curtailing food wastage at all sectors of the supply chain. Thus, the managers need to develop ways to reduce food wastage and ensure that the management of wasted food is done correctly to avoid further effects on humans who depend on these foods for consumption (Ribeiro et al., 2018).

However, for organizational and company managers to face the challenge of food wastage and make sure it is reduced, there is a need for the companies and the organizations to embrace the perspective of sustainability in the companies. Sustainability will consist of the economic, social, and environmental performance of the organization. Hence, the background issue that led to studying ways food wastage can be reduced in the supply chain is based on the implication of the issue on the economic, social, and environmental aspects of organizations and humans who consume food.

Managerial Implications

There are a series of managerial implications brought by challenges of food wastage reduction in supply chain management, which managers of different organizations must undertake. The implication has good practices in the food supply chain to avoid much wastage in the value chain. For the managers to fully understand food wastage in the value chain of food supply, there are aspects that they must know. These aspects include understanding the source of the wastage, measuring the waste, setting targets, and action through innovative developments. These stages call for leaders and managers ready to undertake innovative development in their organizations to help reduce food wastage in the food supply chain (Wallace, Sperber & Mortimore, 2018).

The next managerial implication that will be very important for managers to learn in trying to come up with ways of reducing food wastage in the supply chain is understanding the parts of the sustainable supply chain management (Papargyropoulou et al., 2014). These parts include strategy, culture, risk management, and transparency. These are the four supporting facets and integrated parts of supply chain management sustainability, which will help managers handle food wastage in the food value chain (Wallace, Sperber & Mortimore, 2018).

Improving the supply chain through these strategies will help the managers' supply chains of different companies reduce food wastage in the value chain. It is also vital to note that for the whole process to operate smoothly and positive results realized, system thinking is required, and all parties within the supply chain management must participate responsibly in the process. All the public authorities, non-governmental organizations, individuals, and business operators are all the parties that are expected to participate based on achieving a common goal and collaborative actions (Wallace, Sperber & Mortimore, 2018).

Summary

In conclusion, the management of food wastage is a significant problem in the global economy. It also affects the contemporary business when it comes to requirements of sustainable development. Therefore, the article aimed to identify how food wastage can be reduced along the supply chain of different organizations. The supply chain theory deals with the movement of food materials from when they are produced to a point where they are consumed. Reduction on the wastage is linked to the supply chain management of organizations dealing in food operations (Kaplan & Mikes, 2016). The economic, social, and environmental sustainability of both the organizations and humans depends on food loss and wastage. That is why it is crucial to study the challenges faced in food wastage reduction and how they can be faced. Hence, the managers of the different organization must be ready and willing to embrace innovative developments in their organizations to overcome the challenges of food wastage reduction in supply chain management.

Reference

Genovese, A., Acquaye, A. A., Figueroa, A., & Koh, S. L. (2017). Sustainable supply chain management and the transition towards a circular economy: Evidence and some applications. Omega, 66, 344-357.

Kaplan, R. S., & Mikes, A. (2012). Managing Risks: A New Framework. Harvard Business Reveal. Retrieved on 7 August from https://hbr.org/2012/06/managing-risks-a-new-framework

Ocicka, B., & Raźniewska, M. (2018). Food waste reduction as a challenge in supply chain management. LogForum, 14(4), 549-561.

Papargyropoulou, E., Lozano, R., Steinberger, J. K., Wright, N., & bin Ujang, Z. (2014). The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food waste. Journal of cleaner production, 76, 106-115.

Ribeiro, I., Sobral, P., Peças, P., & Henriques, E. (2018). A sustainable business model to fight food waste. Journal of cleaner production, 177, 262-275.

Wallace, C. A., Sperber, W. H., & Mortimore, S. E. (2018). Food safety for the 21st Century: Managing HACCP and food safety throughout the global supply chain. John Wiley & Sons.