Enhancing resilience in public food supply chains against major emergencies: a focus on China’s strategic frozen meat stockholding

Purpose Public food stockholdings (PFSs) have been established in many countries to address emergencies, provide aid and stabilise market price fluctuations. However, these supply chains are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of major emergencies. Evaluating and enhancing the resilience of PFS supply chains has therefore become critical. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework for the resilience enhancement of the PFS supply chain was developed through a comprehensive literature analysis supplemented by expert surveys. A Delphi-based multi-criteria decision-making model was designed to assess and strengthen PFS supply chain resilience in the context of major emergencies. This model was applied to a real case of China’s strategic frozen meat stockholding (FMS) supply chain, with its effectiveness validated through data and methodological triangulation. Findings The results identified that promoting adaptability and rapid response strategies is currently more effective than material resource-enhancing strategies in enhancing the resilience of the FMS supply chain. Co-ordination and social responsibility among supply chain stockholders had the most significant impact on strengthening other resilience factors. Additionally, the critical roles of preventive and learning capabilities were emphasised in recovery across the emergency response process. Originality/value This study provides new insights for the resilience enhancement of the FMS supply chain in China and offers a practical decision-making framework for improving the resilience of other types of PFS supply chains.