|
Journal Pre-proof Will the COVID-19 pandemic make us reconsider the relevance of short food supply chains and local productions?
The globalization led to the opportunity to make available several food products in all over the world, with 7 positive returns for the profitability of the food industries and for consumers. After the second world war, all 8 the involved countries had to face and to resolve several critical issues regarding the food productions: first, 9 the food security; secondly, the food safety of products; finally, nowadays, the improvement of foods from a 10 nutritional, technological, and sensorial point of view. Nowadays, in industrialized countries, the trade and 11 logistics management of food products have planetary character. In the European Union, the food trade is 12 simplified by the articles 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the TFUE (European Union, 2012) , which allow the free 13 movement of goods. It is superfluous to highlight the enormous steps forward made worldwide for the 14 production and distribution of food products. They are so huge that the critical issues of food security and 15 food safety seem to have become faraway memories. This food policy changed the eating habits of 16 consumers which move from local and retail markets to supermarkets and discount stores were they can, 17 with a single stop, purchase all the foods they needed. Moreover, the significant change in lifestyle, the 18 increase in working hours, and the ever-decreasing availability of time to cook, led to the inevitable triumph 19 of supermarkets and discount store.
Globalization must not be considered negatively. Nevertheless, the short food supply chains and the local 22 producers, which were not able to be part of this global business for several reasons (e.g. low production 23 capacity, non-competitive prices, etc.) were negatively affected by this expansion of market. Fortunately, 24 through production differentiation strategies, such as rediscover of autochthonous varieties and of ancient 25 wheat cultivars (Guerrini et al., 2020; Cappelli et al., 2018) , through the connection with the territory (Mundler 2 the personal freedoms restrictions of consumers applied by country governments who sometimes cannot 31 even change municipalities for purchase foods, how can access to essential foods be guaranteed for these 32 people? In this scenario, it seems to be back to 1950, having potential problems of food security which, a few 33 month ago, seemed to be distant memories.
A potential answer to these questions might be furnished by short food supply chains and local productions, 36 which feel less the effect of international restrictions and which, since their rooted presence in the territory, 37 could be closer to the consumers. For these reasons, after the conclusion of this international crisis, is 38 essential to strengthen the research activities to provide technical solutions aimed to improve short food 39 supply chains and local productions, as we are doing for wheat and flour production chains (Cappelli et al., 40 2019a; Cappelli et al., 2020a; Cappelli et al., 2020b) , because in this crisis (and in potential future menaces 41 even worse) they will represent a potential lifeline. The reinforcement of this local micro-economy is also 42 useful in non-crisis situations, since allow to increase the chances of employment and improve people's 43 quality of life. Sometime, when we are forced to take a step backwards, to have invested in the improvement 44 of short food supply chains and in local productions could let us moving forwards, preserving the food 45 products access. In light of the above, after that consumers rediscovered their bond with the territory, will 46 they want to return to supermarkets?
No competing interests were disclosed.
Cappelli, A., Cini, E., Guerrini, L., Masella, P., Angeloni, G., Parenti, A., (2018) . Predictive models of the 51 rheological properties and optimal water content in doughs: an application to ancient grain flours with 52 different degrees of refining. Journal of Cereal Science. 83, 229-235.
|
