Quality controlled logistics in food supply chain networks: integrated decision making on quality and logistics to meet advanced customer demands
Western European consumers have become more demanding on product availability in retail outlets and food attributes such as quality, integrity, safety. When (re)designing food supply chain networks one has to take these demands into consideration next to traditional efficiency and responsiveness requirements. In food science literature, much attention has been paid to food quality decay modeling and the development of Time Temperature Indicators to individually monitor the temperature conditions of food products throughout distribution. This paper discusses opportunities to use time dependent product quality information to improve the design of food supply chain networks. If product quality in each step of the supply chain can be predicted in advance, goods flows can be controlled in a pro active manner and better chain designs can be established. A case is presented to illustrate the value of this innovative concept of Quality Controlled Logistics.