Allocation Optimization Problem for Peruvian Food Bank
Ricardo Campos-Caycho, Renzo A. Benavente-Sotelo, Yasser A. Hidalgo-Gómez, Christian A. Blas-Bazán, Pamela Ivonne Borja-Ramos, Stephanie M. Dueñas-Calderón, Patricia Elkfury-Cominges, Pamela Arista-Yampi, Jorge Luis Yupanqui-Chacón
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 15
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8160-4.ch010
Abstract
Food insecurity is a recurrent condition in which members of a household do not have enough food to cover their nutritional needs; this condition contributes to increasing social vulnerability of those affected. In Peru, there are more than 9 million people who suffer this condition, which generates malnutrition and anemia, mostly in children. On the other hand, the waste of food is associated with production the large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that affect global warming. According to reports in Peru, 20% of what is food produced becomes waste. This scenario in terms of food for Peruvians represents 3 billion calories in wasted food that could feed 2 million people. The Peruvian Food Bank manages food donations, ensuring this food can reach people in need through humanitarian aid entities. This applied research work uses the tools of operations research to determine a solution to the problem of maximizing the combination of food orders to be distributed based on their total nutritional value to the beneficiaries, seeking maximum coverage and minimum logistic costs.
TopBackground
Because of seeking a solution for problems such as malnutrition caused by hunger and social vulnerability (Phil et al., 2017), Food Banks all over the world have occupied a very important place in different societies, since they are responsible for the distribution of donated products to communities that do not have the possibility of acquiring food (FAO, 2012). The following lines show examples of these organizations and their effects in different countries.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Utility: In the context of this document, it is worthwhile for some purposes, the goods provided by a certain process.
Reverse Logistics: Means, for all operations, reuse, or products and materials.
Social Group: Any group of human beings who are, have been recently or anticipate being in some kind of interrelation or having certain things in common.
Food Insecurity: Refers to the lack of access to sufficient good, healthy and culturally appropriate food. Food safety is when a person is able to obtain a sufficient amount of healthy food daily. People who do not consume enough food every day suffer from food insecurity.
GDP: Gross domestic product. It is the monetary value of all finished goods and services produced in a country, which is generally measured every year.
Malnutrition: This term addresses three major groups of conditions: malnutrition, which includes weight loss (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age) and low weight (low weight for age); Malnutrition related to micronutrients, which includes deficiencies of micronutrients (lack of important vitamins and minerals) or excess of micronutrients; and overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases related to diet (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer).
Poverty: Occurs when people cannot meet the basic physical and mental needs of a decent life, due to lack of resources (such as food).