Competitive food supply chain networks with application to fresh produce

► We capture the deterioration of fresh food along the entire supply chain from a network perspective. ► We handle the exponential time decay through the introduction of arc multipliers. ► We study oligopolistic competition with product differentiation. ► We include the disposal of the spoiled food products, along with the associated costs. ► We allow for the assessment of alternative technologies involved in each supply chain activity. In this paper, we develop a network-based food supply chain model under oligopolistic competition and perishability, with a focus on fresh produce. The model incorporates food deterioration through the introduction of arc multipliers, with the inclusion of the discarding costs associated with the disposal of the spoiled food products. We allow for product differentiation due to product freshness and food safety concerns, as well as the evaluation of alternative technologies associated with various supply chain activities. We then propose an algorithm with elegant features for computation. A case study focused on the cantaloupe market is investigated within this modeling and computational framework, in which we analyze different scenarios prior/during/after a foodborne disease outbreak.