Due to continuing globalization, the variety of fresh products on retailers’ shelves per time of year and per country consistently increases. Consequently, transport routes become longer, more and more complex and several different logistic pathways are often involved to transport and deliver perishable products worldwide in a short period. Moreover, the supply chains and challenges are different in each country. However, sustainability aspects, for example the reduction of food loss and energy savings, gain in importance.
Therefore, food producers, logistics companies, wholesalers and retailers are searching for solutions and technologies to control important environmental parameters from production to consumption, managing product quality, safety and shelf life in order to improve logistics concepts and to increase resource efficiency over the entire chain.
However, the balance between innovative cold chain approaches and sustainability aspects will be one of the biggest challenges in the upcoming years.
The aim of the Living Handbook of Perishable Food Supply Chains is to present this combined interdisciplinary knowledge and challenges in the field of cold chain management in food supply chains in one comprehensive book.
The book is divided into two main parts, covering two main topics: The first part focuses on country-specific information and challenges in the field of cold chains (Part I). It is currently under construction. The second part addresses recent developments and research activities in the field of cold chain management (Part II).
