Title: Eliminating food loss and waste using lean tools in the agri-food supply chain

Authors: Sahar Elbarky; Rowan Abd Elbary; Rawan El Haddad

Addresses: College of International Transport and Logistics, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt ' College of International Transport and Logistics, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt ' College of International Transport and Logistics, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors and root causes of the increasing percentage of food loss and waste in the agri-food supply chain activities in the Egyptian market and propose a solution to eliminate such wastes using lean tools and techniques. Multiple case studies have already been conducted in the agri-food sector employing structured interviews with stakeholders in Egypt to identify the factors and root causes of agri-food waste in a real-life context using Pareto analysis. As per our findings, it was determined that the poor arrangement of boxes on trucks, temperature, the distance between farm and place of delivery, exposure to sunlight, and poor handling practices are the root causes for loss. The researchers developed work instructions and training programs to educate the stakeholders on how to eliminate the sources of potential wastes in the supply chain activities.

Keywords: agri-food sector; agri-food loss and waste; lean tools; work instructions; training programs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2025.144675

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2025 Vol.50 No.3, pp.287 - 318

Received: 21 Sep 2021
Accepted: 27 Jun 2022
Published online: 27 Feb 2025 *

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