Need for a balance between short food supply chains and integrated food processing sectors: COVID-19 takeaways from India

India is an agrarian country with a long history of traditional food processing practices and Short food supply chains (SFSC). However, last few decades saw a huge investment and steady increase in large scale integrated food processing units to combat globalization, food security and India's export demands. Recent outbreak of COVID-19 has manifested the drawbacks in the existing production and supply chain system with a wide range of issues and enforces the need for a more balanced approach. This scenario can be commonly observed in many other agrarian developing nations. This article discusses various issues concerning the existing integrated food processing sectors such as high energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and food insecurity during disasters and pandemic outbreaks. Moreover, we emphasise a more sustainable approach with a better balance and understanding between SFSC and integrated food processing. A potential solution in this scenario would be, rejuvenating SFSC and traditional food processing approaches along with integrated food processing units. An approach of this kind, opens up new possibilities for a next generation process-supply system.

Automated summary

India has a long history of traditional food processing practices and Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC), but recent decades have seen a rise in large-scale integrated food processing units to meet global demands. The outbreak of COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses in the existing production and supply chain system, highlighting the need for a more balanced approach. By rejuvenating SFSC and traditional food processing methods alongside integrated food processing units, new possibilities for a next generation process-supply system can be explored.