Food Bank Supply Chain and Operations in a Data-Driven World: Objectives, Challenges, and Opportunities

Food banks are nonprofit organizations that collect in-kind and monetary donations from various sources and distribute food to food-insecure individuals and families through a network of partner charitable agencies. Food bank supply chains are complex and include multiple stakeholders with potentially conflicting objectives, various sources of uncertainty, and a dynamic environment. This chapter provides a holistic view of the United States food bank supply chain and operations, examining the flow of goods and information among the entities and highlighting the main operational and supply chain challenges and opportunities for data-informed decision-making. We discuss the impact of governmental policies and programs for food assistance and explore the relationship between food insecurity and other social determinants, focusing on its interaction with health-related outcomes. We highlight supply chain challenges that food bank entities face due to disasters and supply chain disruptions. We finish the chapter by presenting opportunities and open problems for the operations research/operations management community.