Measuring the sustainability of the food supply chain: A case study of the UK

Abstract

This paper provides a critical analysis of the UK food supply chain and its implications for the economy, society and the environment, using a sustainability assessment model. A set of sustainability indicators is proposed to measure the effects of the food supply chain, comprising stages of agriculture, food processing, food wholesaling, food retailing and food catering. The paper tests the assessment model using the empirical data for chicken and potato supply chains in the UK; indicators are scored and presented using spider diagrams to illustrate the sustainability effects within these supply chains. The paper also analyses the chicken and potato supply chains using the proposed assessment and discusses the implications of its application. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.