21 April 2021
From farm to plate fast: ports as food industry hubs
With the blocking of the Suez Canal having demonstrated the fragility of the supply chain, ports remain vital to the most essential supply of...
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In line with the United Nations’ second SDG, “End Hunger,” AIVP’s 7th objective aims to highlight the essential role played by port cities in the agri-food sector. Between 2014 and the start of the pandemic, the number of people suffering from hunger and food insecurity gradually increased, partly due to the COVID-19 crisis. In 2020, between 720 and 811 million people worldwide were suffering from hunger (UN 2022 report on progress toward the SDGs).
It is well known that port cities play a crucial role in food logistics, but they also have a role to play in food production, particularly when it comes to seafood. Ports are also responsible for ensuring the quality and preservation of food produced or transported. Activities related to the blue economy—such as fishing, aquaculture, and the food supply chain—are at the heart of the relationship between the city and the port, often serving as their main focal point.
To make port cities key players in the challenge of ensuring sufficient, high-quality food for all, the AIVP has identified four priorities for action:
The traceability of food products throughout the port logistics chain is a major issue for food safety and public health. Technologies such as blockchain, connected temperature sensors, cold storage management systems, and real-time tracking tools help ensure product integrity from producer to consumer. Ports, as central hubs in the global supply chain, have a crucial role to play in the deployment of these systems.
Example — HLU is HOPE (Lyon, France)
By optimizing last-mile distribution in the Lyon metropolitan area with low-carbon mobility solutions, the Hôtel de Logistique Urbaine improves the freshness and traceability of perishable food products while reducing their delivery carbon footprint.
Food waste in port supply chains results in significant economic and environmental losses. Excessively long transit times, breaks in the cold chain, and inadequate storage conditions are all factors that degrade the quality of food products and lead to their destruction. Investing in high-performance refrigeration infrastructure, streamlining customs procedures for perishable goods, and developing early-warning systems for spoilage risks are direct ways to reduce food waste.
Example — Tangier City Port ⭐ 2024 WINNER (Tangier, Morocco)
The construction of the new fishing port has significantly improved working conditions for small-scale fishermen and the preservation of their catches. The new infrastructure reduces post-catch losses that traditionally affected the sector, directly contributing to the reduction of food waste at sea and at the dock.
Ports have the ability to actively promote the development of short, organic, and fair-trade food supply chains through their trade and tariff policies. By setting aside dedicated spaces for local producers, streamlining administrative procedures for small-scale producers, supporting farmers’ markets in port areas, and committing to responsible procurement for their own needs, ports can become key players in the transition toward a fairer and more sustainable food system.
Example — Saint Louis Nautical Pole (Sète, France)
The project promotes the local consumption of seafood and supports traditional fishing activities, which are at the heart of Sète’s economic and cultural identity, thereby fostering short food supply chains and sustaining a high-quality local fishing industry.
Commercial fishing is often the first activity to give rise to a port city, and it is one of the first to suffer from land-use pressures and the rise of industrial and logistics activities. The AIVP calls for the protection and strengthening of port areas dedicated to artisanal and commercial fishing, the improvement of landing and first-sale infrastructure, and support for research projects on sustainable aquaculture, low-impact fishing, and new marine food resources.
Example — Redevelopment of a Multihull Spot (Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France)
The project incorporates new facilities dedicated to the local fishing port, tangibly improving fishermen’s working conditions while promoting local consumption of seafood and maintaining a vibrant fishing industry at the heart of the nautical development project.
21 April 2021
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