Improving food bank supply chains to minimize food loss & waste

Food banks attempt to find a balance between food waste and food insecurity by distributing leftover food to people in need. By donating leftover food to charitable organizations in a responsible manner, food waste may be prevented, and those in need will be supported. This research intends to develop solutions for decreasing food waste throughout food bank supply chains (FBSC) by analysing the decisions that must be made at different phases of FBSCs and from different perspectives. The aim is to reduce food waste by facilitating the process of decision-making through the development of tools. These tools will assist retailers in making the right decision of donation or discounting of products, assist food banks in managing inventories by forecasting future donations, and also provide efficient redistribution of food among food banks. Another outcome of this research will be developing a handbook of all possible food waste reduction strategies that food banks, end-user consumers, NGOs, retailers and municipalities can adopt. To fulfil the objectives of this research, appropriate mathematical tools for simulation and prediction.