Are sustainable food supply chains really sustainable? A critical examination of short and long food networks

Abstract

This thesis examines the sustainability of food supply chains, questioning whether supply chains labelled or perceived as “sustainable” are actually sustainable when their environmental, economic, and social impacts are considered. A major focus is a critical examination of short/local and long food supply chains. The thesis challenges the common assumption that food produced and sold locally or through fewer intermediaries is automatically more sustainable. It examines how factors such as production methods, transportation, labour conditions, economic viability, consumer behaviour, price, governance, subsidies, and sustainability labels influence the actual sustainability of food supply chains. The research particularly looks at Wallonia, combining consumer perceptions with the perspectives of food-system professionals. It therefore explores the potential gap between what consumers and companies consider sustainable and what sustainability actually requires in practice.