Review of the application of System Dynamics to problems in food supply chains

With an increasing population in a world with limited resources, maximisation of food production has become a key metric for industries across the globe. However, distribution problems have led food wastage also increasing as an unexpected and undesirable consequence of this search for food production efficiency.

Growing fears of food safety have called for the need for application of innovative concepts that consider the systems where these issues arise, for effective management of Food Supply Chains. In order to understand and manage this problem beyond traditional optimization techniques, this paper aims to understand the application of System Dynamics (SD) as a tool for the management of Food Supply Chains (FSC).

By using a structured literature review (SLR) this paper gathers extant scientific literature in order to describe the use of System Dynamics (SD) as a problem-solving tool beyond its traditional use as a simulation tool in FSC Management. This research provides evidence for the current use of SD in FSC for testing strategic decisions, operational problems and various what-if scenario analysis, beyond traditional FSC problems such as Bullwhip effect, Inventory and Process Control.

Additionally, this work argues for avenues of future research for the use of SD in FSCs.