About the project
Vulnerability of supply chains worsen inequalities in diets. This project employs mixed methods to portrait the supply chains of fruit and veg and their crucial impact on healthy diets. Collaboration with stakeholders will identify operational strategies to boost resilience of diets across UK through better conceived supply chains.
The project explores the resilience of diets, in terms of fruit and veg consumption, across geographies—particularly in food deserts (areas with poor access to healthy food—to supply chain disruptions caused by factors such as COVID‐19, Brexit, and geopolitical tensions. The objective is to assess the vulnerability of diet quality in the most disadvantaged populations, and formulate co‐developed strategies to enhance resilience in the face of supply chain disruptions. These strategies point to improved diet quality and health inequalities through a better conceived supply chain.
A critical aspect of this initiative involves adopting an interdisciplinary approach, drawing insights from fields including geography, economics, supply chain management, and public health. In addition, working closely with local government will facilitate implementation of feasible solutions. The project draws on empirical and modelling tools including spatial microsimulation, network optimization and consumer behaviour to analyze the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption in identified food deserts and supply chain disruptions. The repercussions on food availability and prices will be noted, and strategies identified in collaboration with local government and third sector for boosting resilience of diets. In the quest for resilience, the project aims to identify strategies ranging from local food production initiatives to collaborative distribution channels and existing community‐based solutions; this builds on ongoing research by the supervisory team.
The findings will inform policy recommendations, tailored to local, regional, or national levels, with due consideration for the socio‐economic and cultural context of widening inequalities in access to healthy and affordable food.
Additional supervisor is: Dr. Ravita Taheem from University of Southampton.
