ABSTRACT
Perishable food supply chains (PFSCs) have special challenges of short shelf life, strict time windows, product quality degradation issues, and product safety issues. With an estimated one-third of all food wasted in global food supply chains, managing perishability is a key concern for sustainability of PFSCs. The present chapter identifies key operational strategies to manage the PFSC. A mixed-methods approach was used based on systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis. This chapter further considers the case study of a dairy food supply chain (DFSC) in India. Dairy industry serves as the ideal case of an industry that strategically uses supply chain drivers to manage perishability, resulting in a high-performance supply chain. The analysis showed that first-mile technology application, effective cold chain management, stakeholder management and strict temperature control are some of the key aspects of managing perishability in PFSC. While cold chain serves as the backbone of the dairy supply chain, integration of farmers and supply chain responsiveness are other important aspects of managing PFSC. Managing perishability is a key factor for achieving global food safety, security and sustainable development goals. This chapter contributes towards sustainable food supply chains through successful management of perishability.
