A Food Supply Chain Model Directing Food Loss and Waste to Kodomo-Shokudos

Abstract

Food loss and waste has become a major social problem all over the world. To reduce “Food loss and waste,” laws have been put in place to turn it into animal feed and fertilizers, relax delivery deadlines, and reduce serving sizes of meals. In addition, there are other activities promoted by the government, such as the use of food banks. However, even if all these activities are utilized, food loss and waste can never be reduced to zero. Another way to reduce food loss, other than these laws and activities, is to provide food materials to restaurants that provide inexpensive meals in the city, called “Kodomo-Shokudo.” By using food that would otherwise be wasted at the “Kodomo-Shokudo,” we can contribute to reducing food loss and lowering the operating costs of the these restaurants. Our aim is to clarify the difference between the food bank and “Kodomo-Shokudo” and create a route model that supplies food losses to the “Kodomo-Shokudo.” Kodomo-Shokudo is a community place where local residents or NPOs take the initiative to provide meals to children for free or at a low cost. Consequently, Monte Carlo simulations show that the resulting transportation costs could be significantly reduced.