Food Deserts and the Logistics of Urban Food Transportation

Registration: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpd/talking_freight/index.htm

The federal Department of Transportation sponsors webinars on freight issues monthly. This month the topic is food logistics. Food transportation logistics often present more persistent challenges in communities, especially cities, than other types of freight transport, due to everyone’s need to eat regularly.  Freight carriers, particularly truck carriers, that specialize in food transportation need to make frequent deliveries to grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and other businesses that sell food as a significant part of their business.  In many locations, particularly urban areas, large numbers of people may not have convenient access to grocery stores or other food sources, complicating the supply chain logistics for customers who are need to access to stores or restaurants that sell food.  Additionally, the growing online grocery delivery industry also faces various supply chain challenges, including how to source their foods to ensure they are fresh for their online customers and how to deliver foods to their customers in an efficient and cost effective manner.

This webinar will examine the supply chain logistics of food transportation in multiple ways, including how small farms can ship their food to small grocery stores in various areas, especially urban areas, how e-commerce companies specializing in meal delivery can create efficient supply chains while keeping costs low and food fresh, and how customers who live in urban food deserts can most easily access food sources or be served by stores not in the immediate vicinity.

The Challenges and Opportunities Getting Food from the Farm to the Grocery Store in Urban Areas

This presentation will discuss research examining the challenges and opportunities for small farmers in the Midwest to transport their products to small grocery stores in cities. —Michelle Miller, University of Wisconsin, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

The Transportation Logistics for Online Grocery Providers

This presentation will talk about some of the logistical issues online grocery providers need to address to grow and sustain their grocery delivery business. — Caesar Layton, Cultivate Ventures

Addressing Urban Food Desert Needs and Enabling Customers to Access Grocery Store and Food Resources

This presentation will examine how people living in urban areas that lack grocery stores and other stores selling food – food desert locations – can find ways to access those stores despite poor geographic access.—Alice Huang, City of Baltimore, Food Access Planner