Food Supply and Sustainability: Trends, Challenges, and Structure

This presentation examines the multifaceted aspects of food supply and sustainability, focusing on current food consumption trends, consumer issues, and the factors driving change within the food industry. It explores the impact of convenience culture, the rise of healthy snacking, and evolving consumer concerns regarding food safety and quality. The research delves into the structure, functions, and processes within the food industry, including the supply chain dynamics from producers to consumers, and the role of technology and plant efficiency. The presentation also addresses the sustainability of the food supply, including strategies to reduce food waste and promote sustainable livestock farming practices. Statistical analysis and recommendations are provided to promote a more sustainable and efficient food system. The presentation is an academic poster that includes rationale, aims and objectives, existing literature, supply chain and sustainability challenges, conclusion, recommendations and references.

Running head: FOOD SUPPLY AND SUSTAINABILITY
FOOD SUPPLY AND SUSTAINABILITY

FOOD SUPPLY AND SUSTAINABILITY 2
Table of Contents
Rationale...............................................................................................................................................3
Identify current food consumption trends..........................................................................................3
Consumer issues................................................................................................................................3
Factors driving change within the food industry................................................................................4
Aims and objectives of research............................................................................................................4
Existing literature on the subject...........................................................................................................5
Different areas of the supply chain........................................................................................................6
Different sectors within food industries.............................................................................................6
Structure, function and processes within the food industry and sustainability of food supply...............7
Structure within the food industry.....................................................................................................7
Functions of Food Processing............................................................................................................7
Processes within the food industry....................................................................................................8
Sustainability of food supply.............................................................................................................8
Statistical Analysis..............................................................................................................................10
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................10
Recommendations...............................................................................................................................11
References...........................................................................................................................................12

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Rationale
Identify current food consumption trends
Convenience
UK consumers are gradually having inadequate time due to longer working hours and their
culture. It has driven constantly evolve demand related to convenience and food on the go.
Consequently, food shopping habits have transformed with different consumers are now
giving preference to do either standalone daily shops and apply them to top up a higher
weekly shop (Freidberg, 2017). The advantageous of this is that they could implement
consumption related to their lifestyle whereas the declining likelihood of food going to waste.
But, for food and beverage manufacturers, it is essential for developing new products as it is
easier to cook and convenient portions (Rueda, Garrett, and Lambin, 2017).
The rise of healthy snacks
It is identified that healthy snacking has fuelled in part through increasing bloggers and social
media influencers who emphasizes on nutrition, diet, and wellbeing. In addition to this,
consumers now expecting more in their snacks, and have a need for a wider choice of health
benefits such as improving energy and strengths for endorsing regular patterns of sleep
(Kirwan, Maye, and Brunori, 2017).
Consumer issues
When food is remaining the source of pleasure for different consumers, it increasing the
higher extent of reported anxiety. It is identified that there are about 80% of European citizen
who are concerned regarding food safety and more than two-thirds of participants are
concerned regarding freshness and quality of foods (Freidberg, 2018). There are also
concerns regarding food safety higher in the UK as compared to the European average that
possibly demonstrates the legacy of BSE with less than two-thirds of UK participants feeling

FOOD SUPPLY AND SUSTAINABILITY 4
that food is safer in current times as compared to ten years ago (Tasca, Nessi, and Rigamonti,
2017).
Factors driving change within the food industry
Safety Regulations
Food safety plans and essential elements of preventative control rules is required by food
manufacturers for creating and integrating the system to monitor the food within the facility
and techniques to prevent hazards that can contaminate food. In addition to this, equipment
can cross-contaminated the allergens such as demonstrates a hazard (Canfora, 2016).
Manufacturers should assess and approve the suppliers by conducting a hazard assessment of
raw food in the context of suppliers. Technology is becoming appreciated by these new rules.
Some technologies are an internet of things that have proved significant in offering up to date
data on foods (Barling and Fanzo, 2018).
Plant Efficiency
A plant efficiency of manufacturing is relied on technology. Plants can be frequently used for
automating the equipment however the incorporation of artificial intelligence and machine
learning into food manufacturing enables manufacturers new strategies for saving the money
as well as, time (Galli, et. al., 2015).
Advance technology related to production lines can efficiently sort as well as, reviews the
individual foods. Executing machine learning could aid to decline waste by feasible supply
orders, and relied on previous demand and supply data. Other applications regarding new and
smart technology entail sensor systems in order to assess the equipment hygiene that is
valuable in facilities in which, cross-contamination could exist (Busse, et. al., 2017).
Aims and objectives of research
The main aim of this research is to address the food current food consumption trends,
consumer issues, and different areas of the supply chain. Another aim is to address the

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structure, function, and processes within the food industry and sustainability of food supply
(Fridman and Kissinger, 2019).
Following objectives would be applied for completing the main aim of the research:
RO1: To explore the food current food consumption trends and consumer issues
RO2: To identify the factors that can drive the change within the food industry
RO3: To address the structure, function and processes within the food industry and
sustainability of food supply
Existing literature on the subject
According to Forssell and Lankoski (2015), the key drivers are urbanization level, the role of
transnational food firms, food marketing, transforming consumer behaviour and attitudes,
retail concentration, changing incomes, and trade liberalization. Retail focus is high in the
nation of UK in which, about ¾ quarters related to groceries are bought through different big
supermarkets. On the other hand, Sgarbossa and Russo (2017) evaluated that there are
significant increases in consumption about organic foods (focuses on enhanced
environmental standards as well as, animal welfare), functional foods (claims health
advantageous beyond of basic nutritional value), and genetically modified foods.
Transforming patterns related to consumption in emerging nations is likely to put further
pressure on international food security. Because, prompt development in a number of middle-
class consumers in the UK nation is leading to gaining demand related to meat and dairy
products in what some have known as nutrition transition.
In the view of Tai (2018), the rapid development in consumption regarding convenience food
is rising severe issue regarding public health. It is framed with respect to disparaging
contrasting with proper meals like cooked through scratch practicing fresh ingredients and
implied more judgments as in renowned reference about junk food.

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In opposed to this, Wang and Yue (2017) evaluated that convenience sector is highly diverse
with a larger array of foods in chilled, frozen and other structures. Moreover, diversity
implemented in the way that a consumer use convenience food. It is integrating them with
leading Marshall, fresh ingredients, and bell in terms of summarising the convenience and
homemade foods. It is belonging to continuum as compared to two separate classes. It is
identified that convenience is not a set of properties about specific food items however, it is a
matter related to social context.
In the opinion of Chkanikova and Mont (2015), with diet-related and obesity disease at an
international level, food could be a key health issue that can affect an individual. A company
should make sure that customers are protected in against foods and food production
procedure that is hazardous for health and life. On the other hand, Schader et al. (2015) stated
that an individual can campaign for supporting the customer in terms of selecting healthier
diets for over 20 years. In addition to this, measures could be supportive for them to entail
placing restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy food to children, reduction in fat level,
better nutrition data, sugar, and salt in food.
Different areas of the supply chain
Different sectors within food industries
With respect to the food supply chain, food moves through producers to consumers with
procedures of production, processing, distribution, retailing as well as, consumption.
Therefore, food moves through farmer to consumers in a domino-like fashion. Moreover,
money that a customer pays for food can move through consumers to producers in reverse
procedure in Domini-like fashion through consumers to retailers to distributor to the

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processor to a farmer. Therefore, two-sided causality, which connects farmers and consumers
is mediated through these two sets of domino connections (Wang and Yue, 2017).
Along with this, both movements related to food and money is provided by pushes and pulls.
Under the food supply chain, processors and producers can push and supply the food as well
as, consumers pull and demand food. Consequently, it aids the food to move with respect to
customers (Tai, 2018).
In addition to this, farmer processors of producer, distributor, retailer, consumers, and
processors can collect money as well as, consumers can give money i.e. associated with the
movement of money through consumers to producers. Therefore, when a consumer is pulling
the food and pushing that money is weak then producers can push for food and pull the
money. It would be stronger for maintaining the food supply chain moving (Sgarbossa and
Russo, 2017).
Structure, function and processes within the food industry and sustainability of food supply
Structure within the food industry
Food structure is the management of food that is constituents at multiple spatial scales with
interactions. There are several kinds of food structures that are developed while the
ingredients of foods are mixed together in order to create food products. There are several
food properties that are associated with process engineering and product quality is associated
with a structure. It also aids to develop insights into food structure as well as, how it makes
transformation at the time of processing operations. It could be significant for manufacturing
high-quality food (Forssell and Lankoski, 2015).
Functions of Food Processing
Traditional processing of food had different functions such as creating food more digestible
and to preserve food at the time of scarcity since most crops are periodic. In order to process
the food, it could be customized to suit the nutritional needs of groups like infants, pregnant

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women, young children, athletes, and the elderly. Modern food processing has different major
aims such as to create food-safe (chemically and microbiologically), to offer products of
superior quality (flavour, colour, texture) as well as, to make food into forms that are
convenient like the ease of use (Fridman and Kissinger, 2019).
Processes within the food industry
Processing of food is transforming the agricultural products into food and one form related to
food into other forms. Along with this, food processing entails different forms related to
processing foods, through grinding grain in order to create raw flour for home cooking for
complex industrial techniques practiced for creating convenience foods (Galli, et. al., 2015).
Primary processing of food is required for creating most edible foods, and secondary
processing of foods may turn ingredients into acquainted foods like bread. Tertiary food
processing is criticized in order to endorse obesity and overnutrition. It contains higher sugar
and salt, too little fibre and otherwise being harmful with reference to dietary requirements of
farm animals and humans (Barling and Fanzo, 2018).
Sustainability of food supply
Sustainable food production is a technique related to production through procedures and
systems, which is non-polluting, natural resources, and conserve non-renewable energy. It is
economically effective and is safer for communities, workers, and consumers as well as, do
not cooperate with the requirements associated with potential generations (Canfora, 2016).
Reduce wasted food
In the nation of the UK, it is predicted that there are ten million tonnes related to foods are
wasted each year and that 60% of this waste could be avoidable. It could be predicted that
there are £13 billion worth related to useable food can be wasted in the UK each year (Tasca,
Nessi, and Rigamonti, 2017). This equates to average household losses of £470 a year
however households to average children could be average loss of about £700. Along with

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this, food redistribution schemes and firms that endorse the application of surplus food not
only decline the amount of wasted food within the local region (Freidberg, 2018).
Reduce intensive livestock farming
Intensive livestock farms can contribute in water pollution, land, ammonia emissions, use
transformation, and increased practice of antibiotics. Animals could play a favourable role
within well-managed wider systems like organic. Grazing animals about permanent pasture
could be contributed in maintaining and developing soil carbon stores, and can have benefits
for wildlife, animal welfare, as well as, landscape value (Kirwan, Maye, and Brunori, 2017).
Through declining amount and size related to thorough livestock farms together with
population health impacts could be avoided. These entails but are not limited for a reduction
in NH3 emission for a declining particulate issue that is risk for human health. It can decline
the requirement for antibiotic practice in livestock production because of higher animal
welfare standards. There is also declining animal feed needs, declining requirement for crops
grown as well as, imported for feeding to animals (Rueda, Garrett, and Lambin, 2017).

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Statistical Analysis
This statistic ranks food issues in the UK in the year of 2017. There were 46% of participants
who were concerned regarding food prices. The extent of sugar in food was associated with
the concern of the greatest share of individuals at 53% (Freidberg, 2017).
Conclusion
From the above interpretation, it can be concluded that there are different current food
consumption trends such as convenience and rise of healthy snacks. It can be summarised
that freshness and quality of foods are key concerns of consumer issues. It can be concluded
that there are several factors that can drive the changes within the food industry such as safety
regulation and plant efficiency. It can be summarised that there are different areas of the
supply chain such as farmers, processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers. It can be

FOOD SUPPLY AND SUSTAINABILITY 11
concluded that sustainability of food supply could be maintained by declining wasted food
and declining intensive livestock farming.
Recommendations
Provide appropriate waste management
It can be recommended that the company should develop a process for storing and disposing
of the waste as per the legal needs and it could be a key factor of food safety. It should offer a
feasible storage area as well as, containers for wastage together with, regularly disposing of
could aid to avoid accumulate. It could influence pests, and gaining risk related to
contamination (Kirwan, Maye, and Brunori, 2017).
Educate staff sufficiently
All employees can be trained as well as, managed in correct processes for food preparation,
personal hygiene, food storage, waste disposal, cleaning, and pest control. It would aid them
in comprehending the significance of food safety when demonstrating how they could
actively perform for declining risk associated with foodborne illnesses and contamination in
business (Freidberg, 2018).

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References
Barling, D. and Fanzo, J., 2018. Advances in Food Security and Sustainability (Vol. 3).
Academic Press.
Busse, C., Schleper, M.C., Weilenmann, J. and Wagner, S.M., 2017. Extending the supply
chain visibility boundary: utilizing stakeholders for identifying supply chain sustainability
risks. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 47(1), pp.18-
40.
Canfora, I., 2016. Is the short food supply chain an efficient solution for sustainability in food
market?. Agriculture and agricultural science procedia, 8, pp.402-407.
Chkanikova, O. and Mont, O., 2015. Corporate supply chain responsibility: drivers and
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Forssell, S. and Lankoski, L., 2015. The sustainability promises of alternative food networks:
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