Food Supply Chains and COVID‐19: A way forward

Globalization has changed the means of managing business operations, strengthening the global economies. The role of technology for efficient management of operations and supply chains will continue to support economic growth and business development. Successful businesses should align their operations with the corporate strategy for increased supply chain agility and flexibility. Despite such advancements, the world economies have witnessed a dramatic fall due to COVID-19. Irrespective of the type of industry, COVID-19 has affected almost all types of supply chain management, and the agri-food sector is not immune to this global slowdown.

Papers by Cappelli and Cini (2020); Hobbs (2020); Jarzębowski, Bourlakis, and Bezat-Jarzębowska (2020); and Farias and Gomes (2020) suggest that it is necessary to improve global food security, develop shortened supply chains, and analyze consumer behavior toward essential food items more carefully. The COVID-19 pandemic calls for policy implications on food safety, technological innovations, and social dimensions to develop a high level of responsiveness and supply chain resilience in the agri-food sector (Mor, Singh, Aktas, Accorssi, & Luthra, 2020; Stanley, 2020). Responsive and agile agri-supply chain practices can ensure food security with an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities and resolve labor issues (Larue, 2020; UNIDO, 2020; Zurayk, 2020). Figure 1 represents a plan of short food supply chains.