CERES :: Browsing by Author "Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo"

Browsing by Author "Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo"

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Open Access
Birth of dairy 4.0: opportunities and challenges in adoption of fourth industrial revolution technologies in the production of milk and its derivative
(Elsevier, 2023-07-01) Hassoun, Abdo; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Trollman, Hana; Jagtap, Sandeep; Parra-López, Carlos; Cropotova, Janna; Bhat, Zuhaib; Centobelli, Piera; Aït-Kaddour, Abderrahmane
Embracing innovation and emerging technologies is becoming increasingly important to address the current global challenges facing many food industry sectors, including the dairy industry. Growing literature shows that the adoption of technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (named Industry 4.0) has promising potential to bring about breakthroughs and new insights and unlock advancement opportunities in many areas of the food manufacturing sector. This article discusses the current knowledge and recent trends and progress on the application of Industry 4.0 innovations in the dairy industry. First, the “Dairy 4.0” concept, inspired by Industry 4.0, is introduced and its enabling technologies are determined. Second, relevant examples of the use of Dairy 4.0 technologies in milk and its derived products are presented. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are given. The results revealed that robotics, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and blockchain are the main enabling technologies of Dairy 4.0. These advanced technologies are being progressively adopted in the dairy sector, from farm to table, making significant and profound changes in the production of milk, cheese, and other dairy products. It is expected that, in the near future, new digital innovations will emerge, and greater implementations of Dairy 4.0 technologies is likely to be achieved, leading to more automation and optimization of this dynamic food sector.
Open Access
Blockchain for ecologically embedded coffee supply chains
(MDPI, 2022-06-24) Trollman, Hana; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Frank
Background: This research aims to identify how blockchain technology could support the ecological embeddedness of the coffee supply chain. Ecological embeddedness is a subset of the circular economy (CE) that demands legitimacy through design changes to product, production and/or packaging for benefits to economic actors and the environment. This is in contrast with legitimacy as a public relations exercise. Blockchain is a digital transformation technology that is not fully conceptualized with respect to supply chain implementation and the related strategy formulation, particularly in the context of sustainability. Furthermore, the integration of consumers into the CE remains not well understood or researched, with the main focus of CE being the cycling of resources. Methods: This research employs a qualitative case study methodology of the first coffee business in the USA to use blockchain technology as an exemplar. Gap analysis is then applied to identify how blockchain could be used to advance from the current state to a more sustainable one. Results: Findings indicate that the implementation of blockchain is not ecologically embedded in the example studied. Conclusions: The extension of blockchain technology to consider the by-products of production and valorizable waste throughout the supply chain as assets would support ecologically embedded CE for coffee.
Open Access
Business process re-engineering to digitalise quality control checks for reducing physical waste and resource use in a food company
(MDPI, 2021-11-09) Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Coulthard, Guy; Jagtap, Sandeep; Afy-Shararah, Mohamed; Patsavellas, John; Salonitis, Konstantinos
Quality control is an essential element of manufacturing operations that reduces product defects and provides excellent products of the right specifications to the end consumer. Industry 4.0 solutions, such as digitalisation, along with lean manufacturing tools, may support quality control operations. This paper presents a case study of a food company wherein quality control checks were optimised using business process re-engineering to reduce physical waste and resource usage. Following close analysis of the company’s pack-house operations, it was proposed to adopt elements of Industry 4.0 by digitalising the quality control process. Implementing such a solution led to a reduction in the time needed to complete recorded checks, an increase in the time the pack-house quality control team spends with packers on the production lines, and the facilitation of defects identification. It also ensured that the product met the customers’ specifications and reduced the likelihood of rejection at the customers’ depot. The new system also enabled monitoring of each line in real-time and gathering of additional information faster and more accurately. This article proves how employing lean principles in combination with Industry 4.0 technologies can lead to savings in resources and a reduction in waste, which leads to improvements in operational efficiency.
Open Access
Codesign of food system and circular economy approaches for the development of livestock feeds from insect larvae
(MDPI, 2021-07-22) Jagtap, Sandeep; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Duong, Linh; Swainson, Mark; Martindale, Wayne
Processes that utilise low-value wastes and convert them to high-value food ingredients systemically add value across commercial operations. Current common disposal options include use as animal feed, anaerobic digestion, composting, incineration, and the worst-case options of landfill and wastewater disposal. The pressure is acute with food manufacturers needing to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and reach targets of zero waste to landfill. This research identifies black soldier fly larvae as a bioreactor that converts most food waste into high-value feed materials. Production of larvae and the regulatory framework for their use as animal feed is being assessed in several nations. The requirement to understand the availability of feedstocks for larvae production and the capability to establish feedstock supply chains was tested in this study using geographical information system and life cycle assessment methodologies, providing new research insights for resource utilisation in a circular economy.
Open Access
COVID-19 demand-induced scarcity effects on nutrition and environment: investigating mitigation strategies for eggs and wheat flour in the United Kingdom
(Elsevier, 2021-03-05) Trollman, Hana; Jagtap, Sandeep; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Harastani, Rania; Colwill, James; Trollman, Frank
The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to food insecurity in developed countries. Despite adequate levels of agricultural production, consumers experienced demand-induced scarcity. Understanding the effects on nutrition and the environment is limited, yet critical to informing ecologically embedded mitigation strategies. To identify mitigation strategies, we investigated wheat flour and egg retail shortages in the United Kingdom (UK), focusing on consumer behavior during the COVID-19 lockdown. The 6 Steps for Quality Intervention Development (6SQuID) framework informed the methodology. Mixed qualitative and quantitative methods were used to pinpoint the causes of the shortages, and ecological impacts of consumer behavior were related using survey results (n = 243) and environmental and nutritional databases. This research confirmed consumers’ narrowed consideration set, willingness to pay, and significant reliance on processed foods which indicates agronomic biofortification, breeding strategies, selective imports and improved processed food quality are important mitigation strategies. We identified positive and negative synergies in consumer, producer and retailer behavior and related these to mitigation strategies in support of a circular bio-economy for food production. We found that the substitutes or alternative foods consumed during the COVID-19 lockdown were nutritionally inadequate. We identified the most ecological substitute for wheat flour to be corn flour; and for eggs, yogurt. Our findings also indicate that selenium deficiency is a risk for the UK population, especially to the increasing fifth of the population that is vegetarian. Due to the need to implement short-, medium-, and long-term mitigation strategies, a coordinated effort is required by all stakeholders.
Open Access
Digitalising food manufacturing
(Wiley, 2022-09-01) Rahimifard, Shahin; Brewer, Steve; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Jagtap, Sandeep
Open Access
Enhancement of a spent irrigation water recycling process: a case study in a food business
(MDPI, 2021-11-04) Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Jagtap, Sandeep
Food operations use vast amounts of water. To reduce utility costs as well as concerns regarding water depletion in ecosystems, food businesses usually try to reuse their water. However, this often needs a recycling process to ensure the water is of good quality and safe to reuse in a food environment. This paper presents a case study of a grower of beansprouts and other varieties of sprouted seeds that uses six million litres of water weekly. Approximately 60% of their spent irrigation water is recycled using both 50 µm and 20 µm drum filtration. In addition, chlorine dioxide is used as part of the recycling process as a disinfectant. Our analysis demonstrated that the size of suspended solid particles in over 90% of the cumulative sample tested was smaller than the current 20 µm filter in place, highlighting that the existing system was ineffective. We, then, explored options to enhance the water recycling system of the company. After careful analysis, it was proposed to install a membrane-filtration system with ultraviolet technology to increase the finest level of filtration from the existing 20 µm to 0.45 µm absolute and sterilize any remaining bacteria. This not only improved water quality, but also allowed for the removal of chemicals from the recycling system, delivering both financial and technical improvements.
Open Access
Exploring consumer behaviour on carbon labelled food products: evidence from a survey on the case of sandwich production and consumption in UK
(Elsevier, 2025-06-01) Imran, Noor; Kumar, Mukesh; Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Hana; Gupta, Sumit; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo
By assessing carbon footprints and raising awareness of carbon labelling, the food sector is setting long-term targets to reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the transition to low-carbon food production. Carbon labelling, also known as carbon labelling, informs customers about a product's production, distribution, and disposal carbon emissions. This study examines how customers view carbon labelling and how it affects their purchases. The study also examines the complex food industry, identifying the biggest carbon emitters and proposing sustainable alternatives. The study collects qualitative and quantitative data using mixed methodologies. An overview of the literature shows how carbon labelling promotes sustainable consumption. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate two sandwich recipes' carbon footprints, focusing on emissions per item. LCA results indicated that carbon footprint of a cheese and mayonnaise sandwich ranged between 700 and 750 g CO2 eq, while a ham and cheese sandwich ranged between 1053 and 1070 g CO2 eq., and the primary contributors for these emissions were ingredient production, packaging and energy consumption. A sandwich maker partnership simplifies case study data collection, providing a complete carbon footprint analysis throughout production. This study suggests ways to minimise food industry carbon emissions for a sustainable future. Consumer knowledge and relevance of carbon labelling vary, according to our results. Survey findings revealed that 68.6 % of respondents recognise the significance of carbon labelling, however, only 26.9 % reported that their purchasing decisions are influenced by carbon labelling. This indicated a gap between consumer awareness and behavioural change. Consumers are concerned about carbon footprints; thus, carbon labels affect shopping decisions differently. This study suggests that consumer education, standardisation of carbon labelling and recipe modifications could increase effectiveness of carbon labelling in the food industry and its potential to change consumer behaviour towards greener choices and lower carbon footprints.
Open Access
Food logistics 4.0: opportunities and challenges
(MDPI, 2020-12-30) Jagtap, Sandeep; Bader, Farah; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Trollman, Hana; Fadiji, Tobi; Salonitis, Konstantinos
Food Logistics 4.0 is a term derived from Industry 4.0 focusing on all the aspects of food logistics management based on cyber-physical systems. It states that real-time information and the interconnectivity of things, supplemented with novel technologies will revolutionise and improve the way food logistics is carried out. It has tremendous potential in terms of bringing transparency, swift delivery of food at reduced cost, flexibility, and capability to deliver the right quality product at the right place and at the right time. This paper discusses the vital technologies within Food Logistics 4.0 and the opportunities and challenges in this regard. It focuses primarily on food logistics, including resource planning, warehouse management, transportation management, predictive maintenance, and data security. Internet of Things, Blockchain, Robotics and Automation and artificial intelligence are some of the technologies discussed.
Open Access
Food loss and waste reduction by using Industry 4.0 technologies: examples of promising strategies
(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2025-01-06) Arshad, Rai Naveed; Abdul-Malek, Zulkurnain; Parra-López, Carlos; Hassoun, Abdo; Qureshi, Muhammad Imran; Sultan, Aysha; Carmona-Torres, Carmen; de Waal, Jennifer Mignonne; Jagtap, Sandeep; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo
Food loss and waste (FLW) represent a significant global issue, posing a threat to food sustainability on a worldwide scale. However, the growing awareness among consumers and the development of emerging technologies driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) present numerous opportunities to reduce FLW. This article provides a comprehensive examination of recently developed strategies for reducing FLW. The role of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, blockchain, and big data, is highlighted through examples of various promising initiatives. The results of this analysis show that the application of digital technologies to address the issue of FLW is on the rise globally, with Industry 4.0 technologies revolutionising many sectors, including the food sector. Further research is necessary, and closer collaboration between producers, distributors, consumers, and other actors involved in the food supply chain is still required to reduce FLW further.
Open Access
Food processing 4.0: Current and future developments spurred by the fourth industrial revolution
(Elsevier, 2022-11-10) Hassoun, Abdo; Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Hana; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Abdullah, Nour Alhaj; Goksen, Gulden; Bader, Farah; Ozogul, Fatih; Barba, Francisco, J.; Cropotova, Janna; Munekata, Paulo E. S.; Lorenzo, José M.
“Food processing 4.0” concept denotes processing food in the current digital era by harnessing fourth industrial revolution (called Industry 4.0) technologies to improve quality and safety of processed food products, reduce production costs and time, save energy and resources, as well as diminish food loss and waste. Industry 4.0 technologies have been gaining great attention in recent years, revolutionizing, and transforming many manufacturing industries, including the food processing sector. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an updated overview of recent developments of Industry 4.0 technologies in digital transformation and process automation of the food processing industry. Our literature review shows the key role of robotics, smart sensors, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Big Data as the main enablers of the Food Processing 4.0. advantages in terms of quality control (sorting during processing with robotics and Artificial Intelligence, for instance), safety (connecting sensors and devices with Internet of Things), and production efficiency (forecasting demand with Big Data). However, detailed studies are still necessary to tackle significant challenges and provide deep insights into each of Food Processing 4.0 enablers such as the development of specific effectors for robotics; miniaturization and portability for sensors; standardization of systems and improve data sharing for Big Data; and reduce initial and maintenance costs of these technologies.
Open Access
Food quality 4.0: From traditional approaches to digitalized automated analysis
(Elsevier, 2022-08-01) Hassoun, Abdo; Jagtap, Sandeep; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Trollman, Hana; Pateiro, Mirian; Lorenzo, José M.; Trif, Monica; Rusu, Alexandru; Aadil, Rana Muhammad; Šimat, Vida; Cropotova, Janna; Câmara, José S.
Food quality has recently received considerable attention from governments, researchers, and consumers due to the increasing demand for healthier and more nutritious food products. Traditionally, food quality is determined using a range of destructive and time-consuming approaches with modest analytical performance, underscoring the urgent need to develop novel analytical techniques. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (called Industry 4.0) is progressing exponentially, driven by the advent of a range of digital technologies and other innovative technological advances. “Food Quality 4.0” is a new concept referring to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in food analysis to achieve rapid, reliable, and objective assessment of food quality. In this review, we will first discuss the fundamentals and principles of Food Industry 4.0 technologies and their connections with the Food Quality 4.0 concept. Then, the most common techniques used to determine food quality will briefly be reviewed before highlighting the advancements made in analytical techniques to assess food quality in the era of Industry 4.0. Food Quality 4.0 is characterized by growing digitalization and automation of food analysis using the most advanced technologies in the food industry. Key aspects of Food Quality 4.0, including, among others, non-destructive fingerprinting techniques, omics technologies and bioinformatics tools, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, have great potential to revolutionize food quality. Although most of these technologies are still under development, it is anticipated that future research will overcome current limitations for large-scale applications.
Open Access
A framework for recovering waste heat energy from food processing effluent
(MDPI, 2022-12-21) Luo, Yang; Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Hana; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo
Effluent water from food processing retains considerable heat energy after emission from treatment systems. Heat recovery technologies that may be appropriate for implementation in the food processing industry have been widely explored, and selection of the most suitable methodologies has been pursued. A four-stage framework is introduced in this paper to evaluate the potential recoverability of waste heat along with acceptor streams. The systematic approach utilizes thermal and temporal compatibility tools and cost–benefit analyses to determine the ideal heat-recovery equipment for food processing effluent. The applicability of this framework is demonstrated through an industrial case study undertaken in a vegetable canning processing facility. Based on the findings, the framework yields an efficient and optimized heat recovery approach to reducing the total energy demand of the facility.
Open Access
Implementation of relevant fourth industrial revolution innovations across the supply chain of fruits and vegetables: a short update on Traceability 4.0
(Elsevier, 2022-12-29) Hassoun, Abdo; Kamiloglu, Senem; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Parra-López, Carlos; Trollman, Hana; Jagtap, Sandeep; Aadil, Rana Muhammad; Esatbeyoglu, Tuba
Food Traceability 4.0 refers to the application of fourth industrial revolution (or Industry 4.0) technologies to ensure food authenticity, safety, and high food quality. Growing interest in food traceability has led to the development of a wide range of chemical, biomolecular, isotopic, chromatographic, and spectroscopic methods with varied performance and success rates. This review will give an update on the application of Traceability 4.0 in the fruits and vegetables sector, focusing on relevant Industry 4.0 enablers, especially Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and Big Data. The results show that the Traceability 4.0 has significant potential to improve quality and safety of many fruits and vegetables, enhance transparency, reduce the costs of food recalls, and decrease waste and loss. However, due to their high implementation costs and lack of adaptability to industrial environments, most of these advanced technologies have not yet gone beyond the laboratory scale. Therefore, further research is anticipated to overcome current limitations for large-scale applications.
Open Access
Integrating digital technologies in agriculture for climate change adaptation and mitigation: state of the art and future perspectives
(Elsevier, 2024-11-01) Parra-López, Carlos; Ben Abdallah, Saker; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Hassoun, Abdo; Sánchez-Zamora, Pedro; Trollman, Hana; Jagtap, Sandeep; Carmona-Torres, Carmen
Agriculture faces a major challenge in meeting the world's growing demand for food in a sustainable manner in the face of increasing environmental pressures, in particular the growing impact of climate change. Agriculture is also a major contributor to climate change. Digital technologies in agriculture can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. This paper examines the interactions between climate change and agriculture, reviews adaptation and mitigation strategies, explores the application of digital technologies in this context, and discusses future challenges and opportunities for sustainable and resilient agriculture. The final aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of digital agriculture in the context of climate change. A comprehensive literature review was conducted on adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture, and on the current state and future prospects of digital agriculture in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The identified applications of digital technologies in agriculture include Remote Sensing for crop monitoring, Big Data for predictive modelling of water shortages and pest outbreaks, Artificial Intelligence for pest identification and tracking, the Internet of Things for precision fertiliser management, nanotechnology for soil improvement, robots for targeted spraying, and blockchain for improved soil management and supply chain transparency, among others. These technologies facilitate the precise management of resources, improve decision-making processes and enable more efficient agricultural practices. Digital technologies also help mitigate climate change by optimising inputs such as water and fertiliser, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting carbon sequestration. However, there are significant barriers to the adoption of these technologies, including the digital divide, high up-front costs and complexity, as well as privacy and security concerns and the environmental impact of technology use. Future action must address these barriers by investing in infrastructure and training, ensuring financial incentives, developing scalable digital solutions tailored to local agricultural conditions, increasing digital literacy among farmers, developing comprehensive governance frameworks, and exploring the integration of multiple digital technologies. The paper contributes to advancing scientific understanding and guiding practice and policy towards sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change. It provides a call to action for a more sustainable future in the context of climate change and highlights the urgency of multi-stakeholder collaboration to create an enabling environment for the widespread adoption of these innovations, ensuring that they are accessible, cost-effective and suitable for different farming environments.
Open Access
Optimisation of the resource efficiency of food manufacturing via the Internet of Things
(Elsevier, 2021-02-05) Jagtap, Sandeep; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Rahimifard, Shahin
The food sector is currently very inefficient due to a large amount of food waste it generates, and the volumes of water and energy used. This problem is aggravated by increasing economic costs and stricter regulations associated with the disposal and treatment of food waste, carbon emissions and wastewater discharge. Because of this, resource efficiency is key to a sustainable food system. In this context, it is essential to reduce food waste, energy and water through transparent and accurate real-time monitoring to be able to understand the real reasons behind their generation/use. Understanding these reasons would help food manufacturers to redesign their processes and achieve operational improvements. The Internet of Things (IoT), a relatively new manufacturing concept within Industry 4.0, can support this. IoT consists of an information technology infrastructure for data collection and distribution, that can significantly influence the efficiency and performance of manufacturing systems. This article presents an IoT-based framework for monitoring the generation of food waste and the use of energy and water in the food sector. The framework supports the identification of improvements to optimise the resource efficiency of food manufacturing through the design and implementation of a number of IoT-based tools
Open Access
Optimising changeover through lean-manufacturing principles: a case study in a food factory
(MDPI, 2022-07-06) Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Singh, Yadvinder; Jagtap, Sandeep
Operations management is a key aspect in any manufacturing business. Optimising the management of manufacturing operations allows improvement of the productivity and efficiency of industrial activities. To achieve this, reducing waste from manufacturing processes and, therefore, implementing lean-manufacturing principles, is key. This article presents a case study to reduce waste in changeover processes at a ready-meal manufacturer based in South Yorkshire, UK. We identified a large number of activities as part of the changeover process. We applied the Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) methodology to reduce and, whenever possible, eliminate changeover, and line hopping to further optimise changeover. After implementing improvement measures, changeover time was reduced by nearly 30%, OEE was increased to over 70%, and labour costs were reduced by 10%. This shows how lean principles can aid in implementing more effective and economically sustainable manufacturing operations.
Open Access
Optimizing industrial etching processes for PCB manufacturing: real-time temperature control using VGG-based transfer learning
(Springer, 2025-04-01) Luo, Yang; Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Hana; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Liu, Xiaoyan; Abdul Majeed, Anwar P. P.
Accurate temperature control in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing is essential for maintaining high-quality etching results. Automated monitoring using machine vision and deep learning offers an effective approach for this task. This study investigated a feature-based transfer learning technique for classifying temperature readiness in infrared images of the etching process. The captured dataset containing 470 ‘Production-Ready’ and 480 ‘Not-Ready’ infrared images of the etchant tank was utilized. Pre-trained Visual Geometry Group (VGG) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models, specifically VGG16 and VGG19, were employed to extract discriminative features from these images. Logistic Regression (LR) classifiers were then trained on these features to classify the infrared images. The performance of the VGG16-LR and VGG19-LR pipelines was evaluated on training, validation, and test sets using a 60:20:20 split. While both pipelines achieved 100% accuracy on the training sets, the VGG19 pipeline showed exceptional performance, achieving a validation accuracy of 95%, and a test accuracy of 99%. The VGG16 pipeline also demonstrated robust performance, achieving 96% accuracy on both the validation and test sets. Considering the dimensions and the overall efficiency of the pipeline, it was determined that the VGG19-LR model was appropriate for the captured dataset. The high accuracy indicates that transfer learning is suitable for categorizing temperature fluctuation in infrared thermography, as opposed to training a deep neural network from scratch. Computer vision and deep learning provide automated and precise temperature management during the etching process, leading to enhanced efficiency in PCB manufacturing.
Open Access
The Russia-Ukraine conflict: its implications for the global food supply chains
(MDPI, 2022-07-14) Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Hana; Trollman, Frank; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Parra-López, Carlos; Duong, Linh; Martindale, Wayne; Munekata, Paulo E. S.; Lorenzo, Jose M.; Hdaifeh, Ammar; Hassoun, Abdo; Salonitis, Konstantinos; Afy-Shararah, Mohamed
Food is one of the most traded goods, and the conflict in Ukraine, one of the European breadbaskets, has triggered a significant additional disruption in the global food supply chains after the COVID-19 impact. The disruption to food output, supply chains, availability, and affordability could have a long-standing impact. As a result, the availability and supply of a wide range of food raw materials and finished food products are under threat, and global markets have seen recent increases in food prices. Furthermore, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has adversely affected food supply chains, with significant effects on production, sourcing, manufacturing, processing, logistics, and significant shifts in demand between nations reliant on imports from Ukraine. This paper aims to analyze the impacts of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the effectiveness and responsiveness of the global food supply chains. A PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach, including grey literature, was deployed to investigate six key areas of the food supply chains that would be impacted most due to the ongoing war. Findings include solutions and strategies to mitigate supply chain impacts such as alternative food raw materials, suppliers and supply chain partners supported by technological innovations to ensure food safety and quality in warlike situations.
Open Access
Surviving the storm: navigating the quadruple whammy impact on Europe’s food supply chain
(Wiley, 2024-04-11) Jagtap, Sandeep; Trollman, Hana; Trollman, Frank; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Martindale, Wayne
This article explores the impact of the ‘Quadruple Whammy’ consisting of Brexit, COVID-19, Conflicts (Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine) and Natural disasters on the food supply chain in Europe. This research adopted a two-phase methodology comprised of the e-Delphi technique followed by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach within the context of these four identified challenges. The objective of this article is to analyse the challenges faced by the European food supply chain due to these four factors. The article examines the impact of political isolationism such as Brexit on trade, cost and border controls, while also discussing the effects of COVID-19 on labour, supply chains and the rise of e-commerce. In addition, the article examines the impact of conflicts on food access and availability and the role of international aid and assistance. The effects of natural disasters, such as the Turkish and Moroccan earthquakes, floods in Spain and Portugal and the Moroccan drought, on food security are also analysed. The article offers several strategies for taming the quadruple whammy, such as investing in local food production and supply chains, diversifying supply chains and trade partnerships and strengthening food safety regulations and standards. The importance of building resilience and preparedness in the face of these challenges is emphasised and the article concludes with final thoughts and recommendations.