Agri-Food Logistics as a Dynamic Actor in Managing Food Loss and Waste

Abstract

Perhaps no phenomenon has so quickly and radically challenged agri-food logistics as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter postulates on the short- to longer-term implications of this public health crisis on food loss and waste (FLW) throughout the whole supply chain and the role of agri-food logistics. This chapter outlines examples of several logistic solutions deployed for dealing with FLW as the pandemic has unfolded. Furthermore, since COVID‐19 has opened a window of opportunity, this chapter indicates the potential of agri-food logistics to help manage FLW from farm to bin and beyond. In fact, the pandemic and its aftermath may improve agri-food logistics skills, practices, and innovation in a manner that mitigates day-to-day FLW. Moreover, this chapter advocates a rethinking of the opportunities arising from COVID-19 for the transformation of agri-food logistics in alignment with the UN's SDGs. This forms a practical framework for future research and application.