Intelligent Agrifood Chains and Networks

Due to the perishable nature of many food products, and legislative requirements regarding traceability, the management of agrifood chains and networks constitutes one of the most important aspects of the modern food and beverages industry. Food is difficult to handle in long supply chains because it represents limited resources of biological raw material, has limited storage and handling time after entering the supply chain, and spoils easily with incorrect handling/processing. This can lead to various logistical problems in modern food supply chains which can severely affect product quality and freshness. At the same time, the end consumer expects to purchase high quality food at a reasonable price, and the modern food industry aims to meet these expectations.§This book investigates the emerging technologies in managing agrifood chains and networks. It examines:§Current status: chapters that present the current state of food logistics and the major problems that are faced during production, warehousing, transportation and retailing.§New technologies & future trends: new technologies and intelligent systems that are able to process time-dependent information, handle dynamic incidents (e.g. increase of temperature in a storage area) in real-time, and support logistics operations in food logistics management. These technologies include telematics and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).§New technologies in action: real-life case studies that offer solutions to actual food logistics problems by combining a mixture of systemic and logistics approaches. These case studies show how RFID technologies and Telematics have been implemented in production, warehousing, transportation and retailing.§As well as summarising existing knowledge in the field of food logistics, the volume also presents the state-of-the-art research pertaining to the latest developments in each examined topic. It is aimed at scientists and other professionals working in the fields of supply chain management, logistics and operations management in the food and beverage industry around the world; industrial engineers and researchers in information technology with a special focus on food logistics; students and researchers of these topics.