System dynamics modeling and simulation of a particular food supply chain

The objective of this paper is to show how system dynamics could contribute to improving the knowledge of the complex logistic behavior of an integrated food industry. After a short presentation of this research, the structure of a generic model and some significant practical simulation results are presented as applied to the field of poultry production and processing. As an example of application, the consequences of the dioxin infection to the supply chain of the chicken industry is described, and certain recommendations to the managers are additionally proposed. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.