Exploring the relationship between sustainable public catering and short supply chains - developing and presenting a supply chain mapping methodology through a Hungarian case study

Abstract

Our study deals with an exceptional area within the food supply chain, the relationship of sustainable public catering and short supply chains. We aim to examine sustainable school food systems. The definition includes not only the operations, ingredients, and stakeholders in connection with the value creation activities (e.g., farming, food manufacturing, catering, consumption, and reverse logistics), but the well-prepared communication about the processes to stakeholders belong to the core values of sustainable school food systems. The research methods include both primary and secondary data analysis. First, we conducted a literature review focusing on supply chain mapping methodologies with a special focus on school food systems. In order to provide a structured interpretation of the topic we present a mapping methodology, and its application demonstrated by a Hungarian school food system sample. The results of the mapping are shown in a case study. The results suggest that our mapping methodology is suitable for school food systems analyses. It seems to be important to detect the focal entity at the beginning of the mapping process to be able to have a comprehensive analysis of the school food system. Limitations of the introduced methodology can be that the interviewed stakeholders have a too narrow focus on their own operations and roles within the very extended food supply network, which cannot be easily tracked. Further research may focus on testing the methodology at other supply chains to gain a comprehensive view. This study should contribute both to the academic sphere and practitioners who are interested in emerging methods supporting the efficient and sustainable operation of school food systems.