Structure of food distribution
Food distribution is a chain of steps from producer to consumer.
- Producer: farmer, fisher or food factory.
- Collector or aggregator: gathers small amounts from many producers.
- Wholesaler (mandi or distributor): buys large amounts and sells to shops.
- Retailer: shop, supermarket or street seller who sells to people.
- Online and direct selling: apps and farm-to-home delivery can skip some steps.
Short chains are fresher and cheaper. Long chains reach more people but add cost.
Food storage
Different foods need different storage.
- Dry storage: grains, pulses and flour in clean, dry, pest-proof bins or silos. Moisture is the enemy.
- Cool storage: potatoes, onions and some fruit in cool, airy rooms.
- Cold storage: milk, meat, fish and many vegetables at about 0 to 5 °C.
- Frozen storage: at about -18 °C for months.
The cold chain means keeping the cold unbroken from producer to customer: cold rooms, refrigerated trucks and shop fridges. A break of even an hour can spoil food.
Good storage also uses FIFO: first in, first out, so old stock is sold before new stock.
Logistics and information systems
Logistics means planning and moving goods: packing, loading, choosing routes and modes (road, rail, ship, air), and delivering on time.
Information systems help by tracking goods in real time. Barcodes and QR codes identify packs; GPS shows where a truck is; temperature sensors warn if the cold fails; software records stock and orders so that shops do not run out or overstock.
Traceability: if a food is found unsafe, the records show which batch, which farm and which shops, so it can be recalled quickly.
Food quality control
Quality control checks food at each stage so that only safe and good food reaches customers.
- At receiving: check look, smell, size, temperature and packaging.
- In storage: check temperature, humidity, pests and dates.
- Tests: lab tests for germs, chemicals and moisture.
- Labels: name, ingredients, date of packing and use-by date, and a batch number.
- Standards: rules set by food safety authorities and programmes such as HACCP, which looks for the steps where danger can arise and controls them.
Food imports and exports
When food crosses the border of a country, it is exported by the seller country and imported by the buyer country. Countries trade because climate, land and skills differ. Tea, spices, rice and fruit are common exports, and some countries import edible oils, pulses or wheat.
What exporters need
- Food that meets the buyer country's safety rules.
- Clean packing, correct labels and records.
- Inspection and certificates.
- Transport that suits the food: dry containers for grain, refrigerated containers for fruit and fish.
Long trips mean longer shelf life and good cold chain matter even more.
Key formulas and definitions
- Shelf life roughly halves for every 5 to 6 °C rise in temperature (rule of thumb)
- Stock turnover = quantity sold ÷ average stock
- Transport time = distance ÷ speed
- Key terms: cold chain, FIFO, traceability, logistics, wholesaler, retailer, import, export
Worked examples
1. A refrigerated truck travels 600 km at 50 km/h. How long does the trip take?
Time = 600 ÷ 50 = 12 hours.
2. A warehouse sells 900 sacks in a month with an average stock of 300 sacks. Find the stock turnover.
Turnover = 900 ÷ 300 = 3 times a month.
3. Fruit lasts 20 days at 2 °C. Using the rule of thumb, about how many days at 8 °C (6 °C hotter)?
Shelf life halves for each 6 °C rise, so 20 ÷ 2 = 10 days.
Common mistakes
- Leaving a cold-chain product on a loading dock "for a few minutes". The cold break can spoil it.
- Using new stock first and leaving old stock to expire. Use FIFO.
- Thinking quality control happens only at the end. It must happen at every step.
- Storing grain without drying it first. Wet grain grows mould.