Transportation and Food Security

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue, which will focus on the role of transportation in food security. Food security is a basic requirement for creating a healthy and sustainable society. Various elements of the food industry have widespread economic impacts, with food aggregators, food supply chain industries, and transportation playing vital roles in upholding the circulation of food in this industry. Transportation also plays a critical role in ensuring that every individual has access to various food production sources and markets. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “a poor transportation system cuts off access to many food outlets—especially for those who do not own a car or have no access to reliable and affordable public transportation”. A strong nexus among the farmers (as food producers), retailers, and consumers, facilitated by transport, ensures that an appropriate level of food security is guaranteed for all.  

However, this industry faces continuous challenges, and food insecurity remains inevitable in developed, transition, and developing countries, due to a lack of transportation. These challenges need to be adequately researched and brought forth for the benefit of transportation practitioners and policymakers. 

This Special Issue aims to identify the critical role of transportation in the food industry in diminishing food insecurity. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Food distribution systems;
2. Transport disparity and food security;
3. Last-mile delivery in the food industry;
4. Sustainable transportation options for farmers;
5. Truck driver/workforce shortage in the food supply chain;
6. Vehicle ownership and food security;
7. Food access in remote areas;
8. Grain warehouse location problems;
9. Freight rail for food transportation;
10. Food delivery routing;
11. Transport access to food markets and restaurants;
12. Transport for food aggregators and online web ordering;
13. Food security for transit-dependent families;
14. Transport economics and food access;
15. Transport policies for food access;
16. “Grocery gaps” due to transportation;
17. Transport and food assistance programs;
18. Transportation, land use, and food security.

Dr. Shailesh Chandra
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• food security
• supply chain
• transportation
• policy
• food industry
• access
• sustainability