Politics & International Studies

Demystifying food losses in international supply chains: a case study of India’s imports of apples and dry fruits

Demystifying food losses in international supply chains: a case study of India’s imports of apples and dry fruits

Minimizing ISC food losses demands streamlined processes, standardized regulations, public-private collaboration, and temperature-controlled handling across all supply stages.

Authors

Surendar Singh, Associate Professor, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India

Ashutosh Pandey, FORE School of Management, New Delhi, India

Summary

Food losses in international supply chains (ISCs) have received considerable attention in global policy discourse, owing to their far-reaching implications for global food security, livelihoods, and sustainability. This article gathers insights from key informant interviews (KIIs) related to India’s two most imported food products (apples and dry fruits) from Turkey and the United States. This article comprehensively assesses the entire international supply chain, from the export packing phase to the final points of delivery, while analyzing the nature, causes, and stages of food losses in India’s ISCs. The findings demonstrate that minimizing food losses in dry fruits and apples requires diverse strategies, including simplifying processes and procedures through authorized economic operators, adopting globally recognized packing practices, cargo handling protocols, temperature management, reforming overlapping regulations, fostering public–private partnerships, and standardizing rules and regulations through mutual recognition arrangements. Furthermore, there is also a need to foster greater collaboration and synergy among all participants of the ISC.

Published in: Journal of International Food and Agribusiness Marketing

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