Understanding National Food Supply Chains: Fresh Cut Pork

In today’s global food systems, the prices of food refl ect not only the cost of the initial product but also the process of moving products from producer s to consumers. It is useful fo r niche pork producers to understand how the national marketplace operates. A few questions they need to consider are: How is final value distributed among American consumers of fresh cut pork? What are the functions that command the greatest value? And consequently, what challenges are faced by local producers

Analyzing Sustainable, Localized Food Production Systems With a Systematic Optimization Model

Localized food production and sourcing is drawing increasing attention due to environmental and health considerations. In this study, we used population, dietary and geographical information to map potential foodsheds with emphasis on minimizing total geographic distribution. We also developed innovative protocols, metrics and optimization methods to analyze the foodshed localization of geographic areas. We used data from Iowa to analyze and validate the optimization model. This study can also be extended to other regions outside of Iowa.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition in 2011, available online: http://www.tandf.com/10.1080/19320248.2011.576217].</p