Performance Evaluation of sustainable supply chain of perishable products in the food industry

There is a growing concern about the social and environmental impact of the food supply chain, and the food industry faces numerous challenges. This has created significant pressure from various stakeholders to enhance the sustainable performance of the life cycle of perishable products. In this study, we aim to assess the sustainability of the supply chain for perishable products in the food industry. After examining both external and internal factors and identifying a research gap, the structure of the present study involves a four-stage supply chain. Input and output variables were selected based on perishable products and the three dimensions of sustainability. To achieve this goal, we conducted field and library studies to identify and extract relevant input, output, and intermediary indicators for evaluating the relative efficiency of supply chains in various sectors. Subsequently, we examined the supply chain's efficiency and ranked the efficient units. Given the primary focus on perishable materials, our study involved 18 dairy and meat factories in Fars province as the statistical population. We utilized WinQSB software to analyze network downtime and to model and solve the data. The results highlight that the most significant challenges faced by the companies are in the supply sector. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for companies to enhance their performance.