Major milestones have been achieved by global perishable goods logistics, culminating in dramatic shifts in people’s lifestyles. Consumers worldwide love each bite of an apple, and each splash of roses, the comfort which is brought by the global supply chains. However, the onset of the Coronavirus has resulted in unrivaled disruption, regardless of the virus scale or stage of growth, in most economies’ mechanics. In particular, the erection of Covid-19’s barriers has put immense strain on the world’s food chains, especially on food stock, concurrently affecting farm production, transport, and logistics, and final demand (Sarkis et al. 9). It has brought great ramifications and changes which require one to devise or overhaul the previous logistics and distribution channels to cope with the current situation. This paper highlights the distribution process and logistical solutions to the fruit and vegetable business.
Major impacts have been felt on the transportation of fresh food across countries and continents, which has resulted in an increase in food loss due to the quality deteriorating. Fruit and vegetables need to be conveyed fast, and, therefore, they are usually transported by passenger airplanes. However, due to the global pandemic, air conveyance has been greatly affected, hence, disrupting the normal transportation of goods. For example, global air capacity was 26 percent lower than in the same timeframe last year during the week of 10 to 16, May (Sarkis et al. 9). The greatest decrease in capacity on the routes between Europe and Latin America with the decline of more than 80 percent (Sarkis et al. 9). According to Sarkis et al., the disruption is due to a dramatic decrease in passenger air traffic, which usually accounts for the bulk of the capacity of air freight (9). Hence great strain has been imposed on the transportation of fruit and vegetables to final consumers.
Social distancing, lockdown, and curfew policies have led to more inspection time at airports with fewer checkers. The inspection includes the number of import/export assessors has declined at work leading to more time wasted and the condition of the goods waning with each passing moment. Besides, foodstuffs deteriorated in quality at grocery stores due to the lack of constant customer flow to purchase the items. Similarly, labor has decreased at the farms and warehouses as a measure to combat the virus. The restrictions on people’s mobility have limited the supply of seasonal workers for planting and harvesting fruit and vegetables, leading to consumer dissatisfaction.
To combat the logistics problem posed in the business, implementing a supervised logistics method is required. The procedure will aid in monitoring the freshness of the product and the location of delivery. The information will be shared with consumers and supply chain planners in real-time. It will increase the levels of transparency and flexibility of supply chain operations. Additionally, companies can liaise with the cognizance of the freshness of the products and can make decisions towards mobility and control of quality.
Introducing new delivery systems which offer door-to-door services will save time for both consumers and businesses. In addition, data collected on fruit and vegetable required in the market will be of help to producers to plan well for the unpredictable future. A robust system in the supply chain is vital because it will ensure that despite the occurrence of a pandemic or other natural disaster, consumers will still receive their desired fresh food.
Work Cited
Sarkis, Joseph, et al. “Overcoming the Arrogance of Ignorance: Supply-Chain Lessons from Covid-19 for Climate Shocks.” One Earth, vol. 3, no. 1, 2020, pp. 9-12. NCBI.