A simulation-optimization framework for food supply chain network design to ensure food accessibility under uncertainty

TL;DR

This paper presents a simulation-optimization framework integrating a food accessibility index and stochastic multi-objective optimization to design resilient food supply chains under demand and supply uncertainties, demonstrated through a case study in Qatar.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework combining a food accessibility index with a two-phase simulation-optimization approach for supply chain design under uncertainty.

Findings

Optimized supply chain configurations improve food accessibility.

The framework effectively handles demand and supply uncertainties.

Case study validates the approach with practical recommendations.

Abstract

How to ensure accessibility to food and nutrition while food supply chains suffer from demand and supply uncertainties caused by disruptive forces such as the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters is an emerging and critical issue. Unstable access to food influences the level of nutrition that weakens the health and well-being of citizens. Therefore, a food accessibility evaluation index is proposed in this work to quantify how well nutrition needs are met. The proposed index is then embedded in a stochastic multi-objective mixed-integer optimization problem to determine the optimal supply chain design to maximize food accessibility and minimize cost. Considering uncertainty in demand and supply, the multi-objective problem is solved in a two-phase simulation-optimization framework in which Green Field Analysis is applied to determine the long-term, tactical decisions such as supply chain configuration, and then Monte Carlo simulation is performed iteratively to determine the short-term supply chain operations by solving a stochastic programming problem. A case study is conducted on the beef supply chain in Qatar. Pareto efficient solutions are validated in discrete event simulation to evaluate the performance of the designed supply chain in various realistic scenarios and provide recommendations for different decision-makers.