3.2.4. Summary
In this subsection, the inventory problems combined with food preservation investment are presented. We classify the existing papers into three categories for different supply chain structures, that is, single-level supply chain, two-level supply chain, and multilevel supply chain. The research contributions are presented in each part.
3.3. Transportation Planning for Perishable Products
In this subsection, we discuss transportation planning in food supply chains considering food quality degradation. In the economy, transportation plays an important role, which accounts for two-thirds of the total logistics cost and affects the level of customer service. In reality, food supply chains stretch from upstream agricultural farms to downstream consumers, with intermediate manufacturers, food service providers, and sellers in the middle. Along the distribution process, food products may perish and temperature control becomes crucial for supply chain partners to reduce waste and enhance food quality and food safety. To enhance profitability and competitiveness, many enterprises strive to handle the issue of product perishability so as to maintain the value of their products.
Transportation planning problems are mainly concerned with the optimization of delivery routes, delivery quantities, and delivery time. Transportation modes, such as flights, cargo vessels, or trains, should also be considered. Although great progress has been made in this direction in terms of considering product perishability properties, challenges still exist.
Transportation planning mainly deals with vehicle routing problems (VRP). When considering product perishability, more factors should be reconsidered in this research area. First, food safety is a main concern when enterprises distribute food products from manufacturers to retailers and customers. For example, Rijgersberg et al. [34] developed a simulation model of the distribution chain of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce under the consideration of quality and safety during the distribution stage. Second, different types of perishable products should be stored in different conditions during transportation. Because the storage temperatures for chilled meat and fresh vegetables are different, a vehicle may be divided up into multiple compartments with different temperature controls [35]. This makes transportation planning more complex and more challenging. Third, the distribution planning of food products is often linked to customers’ preferences and satisfaction [36]. In real life, the fresher the products, the higher the price. A shorter delivery time helps to maintain freshness, yet it increases the total transportation cost.
3.3.1. Transportation Planning Considering Various Factors
During the transportation of perishable products, factors like product quality, product safety, transportation mode, preservation conditions, or multi-fir coordination all have significant impacts on optimal decisions.
Dabbene et al. [37] assumed that the quality of the perishable products during the transportation is directly linked to time and solved a distribution planning model by a heuristic approach. Quality change may lead to food safety problems. Rijgersberg et al. [34] also developed a simulation model of the distribution chain of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce under the consideration of quality and safety during the distribution stage. The main purpose was to study the impacts of the product life cycle, customer purchasing behaviors, and distribution lead time reduction on distribution strategies.
Some researchers demonstrate that transportation modes affect apt decisions significantly. Ahumada and Villalobos [38] considered transportation modes in their integrated production and distribution optimization models. They proposed that supply chain partners need to choose from the transportation modes of truck, rail, or air to distribute their packaged perishable products under different conditions. The impacts of refrigeration costs were discussed in Dabbene et al. [39]. Rong and Grunow [40] studied the impacts of product dispersion during distribution on optimal distribution planning strategies. Although dispersion enhances supply chain efficiency, it also causes food safety problems. Their approach allowed decision-makers to deal with the tradeoff under different risk attitudes. Cai and Zhou [41] studied the optimal production and delivery policies when facing two markets (i.e., the local market and the foreign market) and the transportation to the foreign market may be disrupted. An optimal policy was proposed to minimize the total cost. Eleonora and Jesus (2015) analyzed the schemes for food delivery to urban food sellers. They studied the impacts of traffic regulations, delivery services, and an urban distribution center on distribution efficiency in a case study of Parma, Italy. Katzenberg and Ferguson [42] studied the value of information sharing between the seller and the supplier in a two-level supply chain. They showed in the numerical tests that information sharing not only improves the profits of the two parties but also benefits customers by enhancing product freshness.
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