Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19
Abstract Food banks have played a crucial role in mitigating food insecurity in affluent countries for over four decades. Throughout the years, academics have researched food banks for a variety of operational problems, resulting in several research papers on the topic. However, despite significant...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-09-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16269-4 |
| _version_ | 1797555972219076608 |
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| author | Aida Esmaeilidouki Mohana Rambe Amir Ardestani-Jaafari Eric Li Barb Marcolin |
| author_facet | Aida Esmaeilidouki Mohana Rambe Amir Ardestani-Jaafari Eric Li Barb Marcolin |
| author_sort | Aida Esmaeilidouki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Food banks have played a crucial role in mitigating food insecurity in affluent countries for over four decades. Throughout the years, academics have researched food banks for a variety of operational problems, resulting in several research papers on the topic. However, despite significant academic interest, the operational challenges and optimization of food bank operations remain under-researched. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on food bank operations and provide evidence-based recommendations for addressing prevalent challenges, and provide decision-makers with practical recommendations. In addition, this investigation seeks to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food bank operations. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of academic publications on food bank operations using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) in order to get a deeper comprehension of the problems confronting food bank operations. Using a keyword search strategy with the logical operators “AND” and “OR,” two search methods were utilized to identify relevant articles on food bank operations management, supply chain, distribution, and production in our first search. In our second search, we discovered articles in the “Operations Research & Management Science” (OR &MS) category of Web of Science containing food bank-related keywords such as food charity, food donation, and food aid. The database searches yielded 246 hits, and the article content was scanned to eliminate irrelevant articles by removing non-English articles and duplicated studies, leaving 55 articles for further examination. Our extensive examination of Operations Research (OR) methodologies reveals that Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) models are the most commonly used methodology, followed by Linear Program (LP), Dynamic Program (DP), and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. The key findings of this study emphasize the operational challenges food banks encountered during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain disruptions, increased demand, and volunteer shortages. To address these issues, effective solutions, including the management of food donations and volunteer scheduling, were proposed. Our findings have practical implications for decision-makers in food bank management, highlighting the importance of adopting evidence-based solutions. Finally, Limitations and prospective research directions in food bank management are discussed, with an emphasis on the need for ongoing research in this crucial area. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:55:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ab08f720ed464ba8a0461802afbcf7ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:55:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ab08f720ed464ba8a0461802afbcf7ea2023-11-20T11:10:35ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-09-0123111710.1186/s12889-023-16269-4Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19Aida Esmaeilidouki0Mohana Rambe1Amir Ardestani-Jaafari2Eric Li3Barb Marcolin4School of Engineering, University of British ColumbiaFaculty of Management, University of British ColumbiaFaculty of Management, University of British ColumbiaFaculty of Management, University of British ColumbiaFaculty of Management, University of British ColumbiaAbstract Food banks have played a crucial role in mitigating food insecurity in affluent countries for over four decades. Throughout the years, academics have researched food banks for a variety of operational problems, resulting in several research papers on the topic. However, despite significant academic interest, the operational challenges and optimization of food bank operations remain under-researched. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on food bank operations and provide evidence-based recommendations for addressing prevalent challenges, and provide decision-makers with practical recommendations. In addition, this investigation seeks to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food bank operations. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of academic publications on food bank operations using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) in order to get a deeper comprehension of the problems confronting food bank operations. Using a keyword search strategy with the logical operators “AND” and “OR,” two search methods were utilized to identify relevant articles on food bank operations management, supply chain, distribution, and production in our first search. In our second search, we discovered articles in the “Operations Research & Management Science” (OR &MS) category of Web of Science containing food bank-related keywords such as food charity, food donation, and food aid. The database searches yielded 246 hits, and the article content was scanned to eliminate irrelevant articles by removing non-English articles and duplicated studies, leaving 55 articles for further examination. Our extensive examination of Operations Research (OR) methodologies reveals that Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) models are the most commonly used methodology, followed by Linear Program (LP), Dynamic Program (DP), and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. The key findings of this study emphasize the operational challenges food banks encountered during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain disruptions, increased demand, and volunteer shortages. To address these issues, effective solutions, including the management of food donations and volunteer scheduling, were proposed. Our findings have practical implications for decision-makers in food bank management, highlighting the importance of adopting evidence-based solutions. Finally, Limitations and prospective research directions in food bank management are discussed, with an emphasis on the need for ongoing research in this crucial area.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16269-4Food bank operationsOperations researchCOVID-19Systematic review |
| spellingShingle | Aida Esmaeilidouki Mohana Rambe Amir Ardestani-Jaafari Eric Li Barb Marcolin Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19 BMC Public Health Food bank operations Operations research COVID-19 Systematic review |
| title | Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19 |
| title_full | Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19 |
| title_short | Food bank operations: review of operation research methods and challenges during COVID-19 |
| title_sort | food bank operations review of operation research methods and challenges during covid 19 |
| topic | Food bank operations Operations research COVID-19 Systematic review |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16269-4 |
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