Shrink the Supply Chain

Shrink the Supply Chain We are looking at food through the supply chain and how we can change the system! Thanks for visiting Shrink the Supply Chain! Can we blame the suppliers?

Like lots of you out there, we think the supply chain has grown to be so complex that we no longer really know what we are eating and where it comes from. We look at the whole supply chain from agriculture to retail and everything in between. The supply chain is not just about shipping and transport. We think the supply chain encompasses development, agriculture, transportation and retail. So we l

ook at all these elements and also how they impact on people and the environment. We want to challenge the system we have created and the supply chain that has been created to serve us. We want to shrink the supply chain! Having worked as part of the problem, supplying the supermarkets, the Shrink the Supply Chain team are now looking at alternatives ways to source our food. We have experience working as part of British based supermarket suppliers, grower marketers and also subsidiaries of British companies based in less developed countries. Until the 1970′s we managed just fine concentrating on the local food so why do we now need to eat everything all year round? The truth is, we believe that the supermarket supply chain has become so extended that, as recent scandals have shown, even these powerhouses can’t control it! Well, when they are being pushed so hard on price by the supermarkets, they are always going to be looking at ways to cut costs. So what’s the solution? We believe that we just need to re-establish the link between food and the consumer. The difference in taste between supermarket quality and locally sourced alone should be enough to persuade most to try a more seasonal approach. We hope you enjoy reading this and please let us know what you think…

Thank you!

World Water Day: Looking into the future
22/03/2015

World Water Day: Looking into the future

A 2012 report by USAID is a stark reminder in World Water Day, that water scarcity is not a problem we will face in the future but one parts of the world are feeling now. In this report, the country in question is Yemen. It is a country on the brink of drying out. The political and violent ramifications of this shortage are already being felt with reports linking the current instability with the lack of available water. [ 392 more words. ]

Risking crop diversity is bananas!
26/01/2015

Risking crop diversity is bananas!

When it comes to growing a new crop, one thing which is really important is to choose the right variety. We have bred crops with two things in mind, yield and ease. We want a high yielding crop which is also resistant to climatic pressures and can grow anywhere. Its a formula which has worked for us. However, it can go to far, and when it does, the consequences can be dire. [ 388 more words. ]

Big Grain Gains: Reducing Post-Harvest Losses
20/01/2015

Big Grain Gains: Reducing Post-Harvest Losses

With our large, new agricultural machines, big scale commercial farming does get a few points over small scale agriculture. We have argued that small scale agriculture is far more sustainable than that of large scale, and we stand by that, however, that should not mean that we disregard everything to do with it. One thing we are good at, is reducing post-harvest losses. [ 356 more words. ]

Working for the supermarkets
19/01/2015

Working for the supermarkets

Tonight, at 9 o'clock on Channel 4, a programme called Dispatches is looking at 'Low Pay Britain'. In this programme, they will look at Tesco has been recruiting part-time customer assistants. Not just the number you would expect but 97% of new customer assistants are hired on a part time basis. Well, you might think, not much wrong with that, not everyone can commit to a full time job. [ 483 more words. ]

GM on the March
15/01/2015

GM on the March

Maybe it was only a matter of time before GM found its way into the European food network. There is a lot of money and power backing it up which has been used to project an image of environmental and social good. Companies, like Monsanto, which have previously been caught up in all sorts of wrong doing have suddenly become humanitarians and environmentalists by putting on a great PR campaign to show how their products could save the world. [ 424 more words. ]

Supermarket Saturation
13/01/2015

Supermarket Saturation

Today it has been announced that Morrisons chief executive, Dalton Phillips, is to leave the company, with the supermarket in troubled waters. Morrisons aren’t alone; Phillip Clarke of Tesco left in similar circumstances in September and maybe Sainsbury’s Justin King got out just in time last July. On top of this, Morrisions, Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda sales and market share were down this Christmas. [ 470 more words. ]

Increasing the food supply: think small, not big
12/01/2015

Increasing the food supply: think small, not big

Big is better. Big is more efficient. Big is progress. It is almost ingrained into our psyche that if we are not aiming for 'big' things, then we are are not achieving. People are encouraged to think big so they can have a big car, big house and big bank account. Unfortunately it is the same in agriculture. Nearly all farmers want the biggest farm, tractor and yields regardless of the cost. [ 483 more words. ]

Its 2015, time to change the world! http://wp.me/p4TMCy-4mn
05/01/2015

Its 2015, time to change the world! http://wp.me/p4TMCy-4mn

It's a New Year! The festive gluttony is over and we are now returning to reality with renewed vigour or trepidation. Some of us will be working to lose the little bit of the extra weight we gained during the holiday period while others will be getting ready to face the credit card bill they racked up. With this new beginning come the traditional resolutions. [ 918 more words. ]

Pay less for your Christmas dinner
22/12/2014

Pay less for your Christmas dinner

Its Christmas week. It may appear that we have been in the Christmas period for about four months already, but now we can truly start to celebrate Christmas. Its time to do the final bits of shopping and head off to where ever you are going to spend the Christmas period. Its an exciting time. In a couple of days time, you will be able to enjoy the once yearly dose of turkey, cranberry sauce, bread source and all the other bits and pieces which rarely get eaten except for Christmas dinner. [ 447 more words. ]

Oil price fall: its not as great as it sounds
19/12/2014

Oil price fall: its not as great as it sounds

A low oil price sounds like a great thing. It means that our fuel bills will fall as will the cost of running our cars. Our world is so heavily oil reliant that a low oil price really does affect everything. In some ways it feels great. But with the fall in oil price comes a fall in the urgency and profitability of searching for renewable energy sources. [ 713 more words. ]

Growing the local food movement
18/12/2014

Growing the local food movement

When people mention words to us, our minds conjure up pictures based on our expectations. We can't help this, its just what happens. However, what we can do is challenge the perception our mind comes up with. This happens with social status, beliefs and food. When someone says they shop in Waitrose, the upmarket British supermarket, we immediately make assumptions about that person. [ 696 more words. ]

Shopping cheaply: its not always how it seems http://wp.me/p4TMCy-1SE
17/12/2014

Shopping cheaply: its not always how it seems http://wp.me/p4TMCy-1SE

Shopping for food on a budget is actually quite a complex thing to do. Supermarkets are masters at ensuring that direct comparisons between products are difficult to make. Promotions are used very well to confuse us further - is the buy two get one free a better deal than the 33% off. Sometimes, we just can't resist what appears to be a bargain even if we didn't initially plan to buy it. [ 508 more words. ]

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