A pandemic crisis inevitably puts great pressure on different aspects of societal and commercial infrastructure. Paths for information and goods designed and optimised for stable conditions may fail to meet the needs of emergency situations, whether suddenly imposed or planned. This chapter discusses the effects of the 2020 pandemic on food supply chains. These issues are considered as problems of information sharing and systemic behaviour with implications for both people and technology. Based on work in Wolverhampton, UK, the effect of the 2020 lockdown period on local businesses and charities is considered. In response to these observations, the design and development of Lupe, a prototype application to support the distribution and trading of food during periods of lockdown, is described. The aim of the system is to integrate the needs of consumers, businesses, and third sector organisations. The use of blockchain technology in the Lupe system to provide appropriate functionality and security for data is explored. Initial evaluations of the prototype by stakeholders are also included.
TopIntroduction
Covid-19 was first detected in the UK in the middle of January 2020 (Aspinall, 2021). The viral infection affects a patient's respiratory system and was transmitted by the vector of airborne droplets through close contact with others (Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19, 2021). As a result, the virus quickly spread across the country with estimates placing the rate of infection at 100,000 people a day by the time the first lockdown was initiated on the 23rd of March 2020 (Jit, 2020).
The initial lockdown meant that people were urged to stay at home and schools were shut. Workers who could work from home were encouraged to do so, whilst others were put on ‘furlough’ (extended period of time of paid leave). This led to a massive drive in the public ‘bulk buying’ goods (buying large quantities of items which are not necessary at the time of purchase) at local supermarkets and online, leaving others empty handed (Evans & Elley, 2020). Between the months of March and July, British citizens were urged to avoid contact and going outside, unless absolutely necessary. As the weeks rolled on and with no end date in sight, the availability of certain goods greatly decreased. There was major concern that the supply chains would collapse. Shops could not restock their shelves quick enough from their suppliers, as demands for certain items increased, examples include soaps, bathroom tissue and pasta.
Heightened by the limitations of imported food that Britain relies on and with more people losing their jobs or being made furloughed, foodbank usage increased by 81%. Families with children were amongst the hardest hit with over a 122% increase in food parcels delivered according to The Trussell Trust (The Trussell Trust, 2020). The Independent Food Aid Network reported 17 times greater food bank reliance than this time last year (IFAN, 2020). With more people relying on charities and fewer people being able to donate, food banks were overstretched with the availability of what they had to offer. As restrictions were lifted, the economic situation of the country was only getting worse and this led to a greater percentage of people living below the poverty line and unable to afford essential goods. Food poverty was already declared a UK health emergency in a 2019 report by Human Rights Watch despite a significant portion of the population having surplus goods.
There was an amalgamation of issues regarding food, in which such was often held in the wrong place, or hoarded beyond use, whilst others went hungry and suffered from food poverty. In many cases the problem wasn’t the lack of food, it was lack of ability to get that food to where it needed to go. Examples include restaurants who, before the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme (discussed later in this chapter), were paying to store their food, as well as hotels and offices with abundances of cleaning supplies after seeing fewer customers (Sheehan, 2020). Restaurants who were able to pivot to delivery services also had to deal with exuberant and almost predatory charges with companies such as JustEat1 and UberEats2 squeezing commissions from every sale.
It was clear that a solution was needed, it would have to be safe, efficient and accessible for people to use.