Review Article

Food Supply Chain Using Green Technology

Rajendiraperasad. M
Abstract
Researchers and organizations are very focused on designing and implementing environmentally
friendly food processing technologies, which ensures the long-term survival of the humankind
will be one the most important challenges for human species. The population of the world
exceeds 9 billion in the next half century. In results, the need for food production and processing
will be an important issue. However, environmental protection require consideration include
ecotoxicity, land use change, reduction in biodiversity, water shortages because of watering
system, climate change and human impacts of pesticides. This review summaries the present
status of the agriculture and agri-food sectors provides a suitable strategies can be used by
industries to improve the quality of environmental friendly technologies for food supply chain.
Keywords: Food production, Food processing, Water shortages, Biodiversity, Food supply chain
1.0

Introduction

Food is relating to life and human presence. In earlier times, when human population was pretty
much lesser, resources were a lot and there was less necessity for food storage and processing. As
population grew higher, the food became more demand and the technique of storing moved more
into harvesting and hunting. Industrialization started to make food sector to encourage an
extending number of urbanized population to keep up the needs and food supply as well.
Technology in food processing and production were given more importance due to the
increase population needs which were needed for sustainability of food. At the meantime,
changes to atmosphere and population wellbeing made apparent between food production
practices, healthy population and environment. In 2050, the number of population on the world is
relied upon to achieve 9 billion (FAO, 2010). Sufficient supplies of nutritious and healthy food
were needed to keep global socioeconomies practicality. To make this effectively, creating more
food will be required with less effect on our surroundings.

Through revolution of industry, production of food did increase globally but moving at
slower rate of speed than the worldwide population with less effective asset circulation and more
waste. Three billion people with iron insufficiency influencing two billion individuals and
protein inadequacies affecting about 800 million individuals due to food supply shortages
(Ferguson A, 2012). In the meantime, most aquatic resources and lands are overused. And even
more very surprising is the guess (of a number) that now wastage of the produced food range
between 30-50% (Bloom J, 2010). The more genuine ecological concerns we face are land usage,
reduction in biodiversity, aquatic eutrophication caused by over-fertilization, water shortages due
to irrigation, exotoxicity, defect of global warming issues create by enteric fermentation and
utilization of fossil fuels, and human impacts of pesticides (Boye and Arcand, 2012). Developing
awareness of these challenges made changes in farmers, food manufacturers, consumers intends
a more effective approach in agriculture and practice in food production. Growing usage of
natural organic input in preparing, recyclable and useful for environment are utilized.
Green technology is defined as the application of one or more of environmental science,
green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic devices to monitor, model and
conserve the natural environment and resources, and to curb the negative impacts of human
involvement Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_technology). This review
summarizes on development of supply chain in food process, food production and processing
using life cycle assessment (LCA) description to improve food production and approaches used
in processing; green technologies to reduce toxins; public understanding in agri-food
technologies; the important of biodiversity in human populations.
1.1

Food Supply Chain

The food chain was extremely basic, as preservation procedures were restricted, food

were grown by them self and eaten just when in season acquire. An agricultural system is
important for ones survival, food was not considered as essentially another commodity but an
important requirement for presence (Gendron, 2012). Subsistence model was appropriate to
smaller towns. Fast developments of industrialization produce larger cities which will separate
farmers from urban workers. Retailers showed up as middle people amongst consumers and
producers. Workers intent to over time to upgrade their living and subsequently requested more
complex foods due to insufficient time for food preparation at their home. Food processors graft

into food chain and provide consumer a partial prepared food as well as ready-to-eat (RTE)
meals for example.
Stakeholders such as producers, distributors, retailers and processors increase in quantity
to sell large specialized products to a global market and signing on World Trade Organization
agreements in 1990s. Since then, agricultural products expanded hugely from US$280million
1999 to US$920million in 2009 (Gagnon, 2012). Nowadays, it is not exceptional to have
comparative products from various countries or to have seasonal products available throughout
the entire year since suppliers originate from both spectrum of business.
Supply chain can be characterized as a system of organization, material supplier, and
resources facilities involved in moving products or service from supplier to customer (Anna et
al., 2013). The agri-food supply chain specifically refers as from farm to fork to create
consumer in a more cost effective and with an advanced stream of agricultural products through
different chain production (Gendron, 2012). Food supply chain has some particular issues, for
example, demand on seasonality supplies; management of risk related to wellbeing, safety and
nutrition; the natural effect of food production through broad resource use include water and land
waste production from agricultural production (Mena et al., 2010). With the income of average
population has risen, the food supply chain has turned out to be more complex as the income of
the average population has risen. This income getting populations eats what they can bear the
cost, as a population gets more income, food choice is influenced by food safety, good taste and
extra health benefits. Table 1.1 shows, the agriculture food chain vary in different parts of the
population in the world. The traditional agriculture, unorganized supply chains and with limited
market strategy. The modernizing agriculture is a well-structured system with more efficient
market infrastructure, and the industrialized agriculture system found is the most developed
countries with high consolidated process and organized retailers.
The higher productivities are expected at the farm levels, as a result in the use of
utilization of bioengineered for example in fertilizers, machinery and pesticides. In a few
occurrences, the imposing business model by supplying of designed seed has created
monoculture of only one variety can have a large impact of biodiversity. Most expansive
organizations have the ability to trace some type of quality control systems of traceability inside

as well as with suppliers. This incorporates product quality and wellbeing as well as some
environmental contemplation, for example, issues involving water, reduction of energy, waste
and gas emission of greenhouse (GHG). Two examples of such companies, Nestle and Wal-Mart
have substantial impacts due to huge market share.
Table 1.1 Main characteristics of the three types of global agri-food systems
Food system
characteristics

Traditional
agriculture

Modernizing
agriculture

Industrialized
agriculture

Market
orientation

Subsistence

National

International

Output mix

Food staples

Food staples and high

value crops

Highly
differentiated

Scale economies

Not important

May be important

Very Important

Wholesalers

Traditional
wholesalers with
retailers bypassing
for exports

Traditional and
specialized wholesalers

Specialized
wholesalers and
distribution centers

Retailers

Small market

Spread of
supermarkets, less
penetration for fruits
and vegetables

Widespread
supermarkets.

Consumers

Rising caloric
intake

Diet diversification,
switch to processed
foods

High value,
processed foods.

Traceability

No traceability

In some chains with

private standards

HACCP programs

Kenya, Uganda

Most countries in Asia,

Mexico, Eastern
Europe

Canada, US, EU,

NZ

Examples

Source (Gagnon N, 2012)

1.2

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Food Processing

Life cycle assessment (LCA), well known as a technique which provide to identify the

environmental effects and improvement options in products or food chain cycle from cradle to
grave (Hermansen JE, 2012). For example, raw material extraction from materials preparing,
manufacture, and waste products or recycling. Figure 1 shows how resource productivity activity
can be altered and its impacts to ecosystems. LCA, well known for its own ISO standards and
international recognition for its method, variants and accuracy results. Conclusions, ISO
standards are strongly depend on chosen assumptions.

Figure 1 : LCA model link inputs and outputs products life cycle and impacts categories.
(Source: Steven, 2012)

The similarity of agricultural productivity and sustainability is a most important question

in socioeconomic (Brentrup, 2012). Plant origin foods example fruits, cereals and vegetables are
produced from natural sources or from man-made plantations. Today, due large human
populations, the worlds natural sources have been transformed to agriculture. By the year 2030,
world population is expected to rise by 40%, 50% by cereal production due to its improved
standard of livings, and only 7% of land is expected to be increase. This will require the
agriculture to be more productive by putting more pressure on rural areas. To ensure the
productivity take place without affecting the surroundings, minerals need to be added to soil.
Through LCA, which provides a suitable tools to measure the actual resources needed, the
wasted generated and the effects of agricultural activities. Studies have shown, nitrogen and
phosphorus fertilization causes the significant effect to land reduction in pH, global warming and
photochemical ozone. Besides that, loss of biodiversity caused by changes in land use, toxicity
and produce fertilizers using crude oil (Brentrup, 2012).
Livestock production have increased due to increasing of global population, and expected
9 billion by 2045. Growth rate of animal products requirement is higher in wealthier countries.
This demand, makes animal products like meat, milk and eggs has increased by 2, 2.5, to 5
respectively FAOSTAT (2010). Mainly LCA from animal production focused on water, land
usage and feed. The land and water use are very important in production of feeds, with two
different types of production system; intensive and extensive. In system of extensive, feed
needed by locals were produced by farmers. The amount of animals are restricted in order by not
exceed crop capacity of the land due to minimize the soil degradation risk (Conant et al., 2002).
In intensive systems, animals are feed with high-energy from grains that purchased from
specialized companies located throughout the world. These systems focus on the utilization and
injection of the fertilizers to the crop and the excess disposal from land lead to water and air
pollution (Menzi et al., 2010).
Production of animals affect biodiversity in lot of ways for example, crop monoculture,
soil degradation and animal selection. Besides that, global warming has turned into a matter of

expanding concern. The increases in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are the high
contributors to GHG (Green House Gas) emissions. Water requirement for the animal production
are higher than crops because direct water are consumed by animals. High changes in receiving
pollute water from surface or groundwater have to be taken into consideration, that this may also
have high capacity, water run of for animal production (LeJeune, 2003).
Food processes were differentiated sector enveloping the utilization multiple raw
materials, procedures, and end products. From simple way from selling fresh tomato to very
complex, tomato were washed, cut and packed to food processors as tomato sauces and to be
sold to supermarkets. Figure 2 shows, the components necessary to produce a product and the
resulting outputs (Animal production, processing, distribution and consumption)

Figure 2: Food LCA study (Source: http://2010csr.hormelfoods.com/process/supply-chain/)

1.2.1

Transportation along Food Supply Chain

Transportation are expected to be major food-related contributor to greenhouse gas

emissions but half of the fruit products eaten in North America is foreign made, not occasionally
by means of air (Pirog et al.,2001). Transportation service provider for food process is done
through highly complex way, including planes, trucks, trains, ships, and distribution centers
(Wakeland et al., 2012). The international shipment rated the lowest GHG effect followed by rail
and inland water, trucking produce 10 times more GHG and transportation of air causes 40 times
higher (Weber and Matthews, 2008). This shows that, faster mode of transport release more
GHG. The different types of transportation mode gives different types of impact, the
transportation condition and the delay from products to consumers for example temperature,
different atmosphere and frailness.
1.3

Green Technology in Food Production and Processing

Table 1.2 Environment Impacts and Comparison of the impact of organic farming and
conventional farming on five environmental criteria.

Source : Lotter (2003) from a review by Stolze et al. (2000) based on almost 300 publications.

1.3.3

Waste Reduction

1.3.4

Toxins Reduce

1.4

Research and Development Green Technology

1.5

Public Understanding

1.6

Challenges

1.7

Conclusion

The link between health, physical, food, and environmental health and the economy turned out to
be progressively apparent. Finding an equal balance between food supply and needs able to be

upheld and which guarantees the survival of mankind long term will be top priority in the
difficulties faced by the agri-food sectors and agriculture sectors though out the next coming 40
years. Extending productivity required in a sustainable manner according high needs to
research, innovation, development, information and education in the agriculture and agri-food
sectors (OECD, 2011). Various types of methods as mention above can be considered to
diminish the effect of agriculture practices while guaranteeing satisfactory of food supply to feed
the ever developing world population. To sustain success, national and international collaborate
along the food chain continuum will be progressively required. In addition, upheld food
engineering will harness the power of development and which take into consideration social,
ecological, financial concerns will be required.
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