Market Disruptions, Food Supply Chain Organization, and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable food systems are important to the overall economic, social, environmental, and health-related development of individuals, businesses, and communities. Of particular importance is supply chain effectiveness in delivering accessible, affordable, and healthy food to consumers of all income levels worldwide. This involves supply chains of various lengths, from direct marketing in local communities to wholesale chains with global reach. In recent years, many firms within the food supply chain have aligned their sustainability plans with the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs): (1) no poverty; (2) zero hunger; (3) good health and well-being; (4) quality education; (5) gender equality; (6) clean water and sanitation; (7) affordable and clean energy; (8) decent work and economic growth; (9) industry, innovation, and infrastructure; (10) reducing inequality; (11) sustainable cities and communities; (12) responsible consumption and production; (13) climate action; (14) life below water; (15) life on land; (16) peace, justice, and strong institutions; and (17) partnerships for the goals.

This Special Issue seeks multidisciplinary manuscripts that address the impact of supply chain disruptions on (1) the food industry and firm structure, (2) public policy, (3) SDG achievement, and (4) agricultural productivity and market opportunities. COVID-19 examples are provided below as a guide for the types of topics that are of interest. Note that manuscripts addressing any recent food supply chain disruption are welcome. COVID-19 has affected food industry progress toward achieving the SDGs and the impacts can be seen in areas including:

• Food Waste: Disruptions in animal harvesting, dumping milk, and crops left in the field have led to increased food waste and other system inefficiencies.
• Nutrition, Health, and Food Insecurity: System inefficiencies have led to increased food supply shortages, the shut down or limiting of school meal programs, and consumer difficulty in using food assistance benefits online, all of which inhibit the ability of low-income consumers to access quality, affordable food.
• Supply Chain and Food Safety: Virus outbreaks at food processing facilities and farms have caused food supply disruptions that have affected localized food availability and have prompted consumer uncertainty regarding the safety of the industrial food supply.
• Labor Issues: Disruptions have led to unstable employment and unsafe working environments at food processing facilities and farms.
• Consumer Demand and Preferences: The virus has altered consumer food-purchasing behaviors, which may have a long-lasting effect on the types of food purchased and the procurement methods utilized.

Prof. Dr. Dave Weatherspoon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainability
• food systems
• food safety
• community development
• food assistance
• consumer education