Food supply chains face a number of unique vulnerabilities
compared to other supply chains and there is concern that, as
operating environment volatility increases, current “lean”
supply chain management strategies may no longer be fit for
purpose. There is a need to manage food supply chains in
such a way that a return to the original state, or preferably an
improved state, after being disturbed is possible. However,
whilst the literature reveals a relatively large amount of work
on resilience in supply chain management, there is poor
consensus over how to define and implement a system of
resilience, particularly one which takes into account food
specific vulnerabilities. In response, this paper explores the
current complexity of food supply chains, highlighting key
dependencies, failure modes and key performance indicators.
It then examines the interdependencies between capabilities
and vulnerabilities in allowing balanced resilience and
presents a framework to bring together and aid understanding
of these factors across food supply chains.