Food distribution

A man using a forklift to unload carrots from a refrigerated truck at a warehouse in Long Island City, New York

Food distribution is the process where a general population is supplied with food. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) considers food distribution as a subset of the food system.[1] The process and methodology behind food distribution varies by location. Food distribution has been a defining characteristic of human behavior in all societies, and recordings of food distribution date back for thousands of years. Most governments and societies are highly shaped by the systems created to support food distribution.

There are a multitude of risk factors that can affect food distribution. War, economic failure, political problems, and weather conditions all play a role in determining the efficiency of any food system.[1] Two recent examples of war and economic failure impacting food distribution includes the decline of food distribution in Japan during World War II and food recession in Sub-Saharan Africa during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In both cases, food distribution was hindered and the population in these areas consequently suffered.[2][3]

Special organizations exist today to prevent any total collapses in food distribution, assist in developing food distribution and food systems in underdeveloped areas, and respond to food distribution crises. At the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) plays a key role in facilitating the growth of food distribution systems all over the world.[4] At the national level different countries have developed more complex support systems; by example, a mixture of federal, non-profit, and volunteer organizations function in the United States to safeguard the well-being of the US food distribution system.[5] Within the United States, there is an issue of food insecurity where food distribution is one of the key solutions to target food insecurity. This creates a "food bank industry" where many organizations use tactics of business and trade skills within the food distribution sector to give food to communities that are in need.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Chapter 3 - The food system and factors affecting household food security and nutrition". www.fao.org. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  2. ^ Lawrence, Peter (1986). World Recession and the Food Crisis in Africa. London: James Currey. pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-85255-309-9.
  3. ^ Johnston, B. F. (1953). Japanese Food Management in World War II. Mosaburo Hosoda and Yoshio Kusumi. Stanford: Stanford University Press. pp. 45–49, 166–170, 202–204. LCCN 53-7894.
  4. ^ "What we do". www.fao.org. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  5. ^ Statler, Matthew; Penuel, Bradley (2011). Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief. United States of America: SAGE Publications. pp. 225–228. ISBN 978-1-4129-7101-0.
  6. ^ Mook, Laurie; Murdock, Alex; Gundersen, Craig (2020-10-01). "Food Banking and Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries". VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. 31 (5): 833–840. doi:10.1007/s11266-020-00219-4. ISSN 1573-7888. S2CID 216178423.