Report finds ‘looming’ urban food logistics crisis

A new report about future challenges to London’s food and drink logistics industry has said there is an “urban logistics crisis looming.” The research, ‘Feeding London: 2030’, identifies a growing population and changing demographic as significant influencers.

The report, commissioned by UKWA, was described by its CEO Peter Ward as a “starting point rather than an end point”, and a source of insight for a number of stakeholders including: logistics operators, waste management businesses, city planners, developers, architects and universities.

The report tackles a number of issues and areas including:

The impact of the increasingly congested urban environment;

New consumer demand profiles for food and drink;

Current trends in delivery frequencies, times and volumes;

Changes in the grocery retail sector that impact on supply chains;

The significance of the hospitality and food service (HaFS) sector;

Maintenance of food hygiene and food safety through the supply chain;

The logistical pressures associated with food waste and other waste streams.

It includes a nine step cluster analysis technique which explores the food offering in different areas of London.

“Things are becoming stretched across London’s food and drink supply chains and current logistics thinking is no longer fit for purpose,” said lead author of the report, Andrew Morgan of Global 78. “New trends in the way food and drink products are bought and consumed – added to the capital’s changing population profile and a transport infrastructure that is already creaking – are bringing significant challenges to food and drink manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, caterers and logistics companies.”