PRIORITISING REQUIREMENTS OF INFORMATIONAL SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN PLATFORMS USING A FUZZY APPROACH
Patrick Burgess, Funlade Sunmola
Abstract
Short food supply chains emerged from initiatives for reducing distances and intermediaries in food supply chains, substantiated in part by a shift in consumer’s perceptions on sustainability of global systems. Short food supply chains attract consumers due to the reduced distance to the origin of food. Informational platforms can help these types of supply chains achieve desirable network effect and add value for relevant stakeholders. This paper explores prioritisation of requirements for informational short food supply chains. It uses seventeen requirements selected by a panel of experts. Prioritisation is accomplished through a Fuzzy MoSCoW method. Results suggest that track and trace, real-time operations and supply chain related data exchange, and real-time supplier data exchange are must have/top ranked functional requirements for informational short food supply chains. Real-time sustainability related data exchange is categorised as should have and is likely to rank higher as short food supply chains increasingly embrace sustainability.