Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

QFD framework for integrating sustainability, risk, and resilience in fresh-food supply chains

Andrés Mauricio Paredes Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Orejuela Cabrera, Juan Carlos Osorio Gómez

SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026

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Summary

This study proposes an integrated Quality Function Deployment framework linking contextual factors, sustainability criteria, supply chain risks, and resilience strategies for fresh food supply chains serving small-scale producers and nanostores. Through multi-expert evaluation across three sequential stages, the framework identifies logistics costs and water use as critical sustainability metrics, and prioritises practical mitigation strategies including horizontal collaboration and backup supplier networks. The approach addresses the fragmentation of sustainability, risk, and resilience analyses by treating them as interdependent system components.

UK applicability

The framework's emphasis on small-scale producers and nanostores, together with its focus on logistical efficiency and water stewardship, may inform UK policy on short supply chains and local food systems, though applicability depends on whether the study's geographic and economic context aligns with UK farm scale and infrastructure patterns.

Key measures

Weighted expert evaluations of contextual attributes, sustainability criteria (economic, environmental, social), supply chain risks, and resilience strategies across three integrated QFD stages

Outcomes reported

The study identified key sustainability criteria (logistics costs, water use, demand fulfilment), primary supply chain risks (supply, financial, and demand risks), and prioritised resilience strategies (multiple sourcing, horizontal collaboration, backup suppliers, facility fortification, capacity expansion) for fresh food supply chains with small-scale producers and nanostores.

Theme
Climate & resilience
Subject
Food security & global nutrition
Study type
Research
Study design
Multi-expert framework development using Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
System type
Food supply chain
DOI
10.2139/ssrn.6384689
Catalogue ID
SNmp2b3oak-pm2axu

Topic tags

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