Resilient regional food supply chains and rethinking the way forward: Key takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic

摘要

Context: The U.S. food supply system relies heavily on vertically-integrated food supply chains (FSCs), which leverage large-scale production, streamlined operations, and centralized planning and control to provide consumers with a consistent supply of food. However, these FSCs were seriously disrupted upon the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. During the height of the crisis, they were slow to respond to production system failures and sudden and widespread changes in consumer demand. By contrast, many regionalized food supply chains (RFSCs) proved to be adaptive and responsive to changes in demand and delivery requirements, quickly pivoting to distribute products directly to consumers safely.