Enough tool: decarbonizing food supply chains while improving product quality

• A dedicated software to assess emissions of food supply chains has been developed • It features a granular approach and an integration of food quality indicators • The simulations of two case studies are presented • Imported and local apple supply chains in Belgium • Supermarket, local store and e-commerce deliveries for yogurt chain The ENOUGH tool is a web-based simulation platform designed to help reducing the carbon footprint of food supply chains while improving product quality. The tool dynamically calculates time-temperature profiles, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the supply chain. It models key elements such as refrigeration (considering COP, TEWI), transportation (using tonne-kilometre and the GLEC framework), and packaging. It also integrates food quality kinetic models. A significant advantage over traditional life cycle assessments (LCA) is its granular approach and unique incorporation of product quality alongside environmental impacts. Two examples of case studies demonstrate its utility, highlighting transportation as a major GHG contributor. The first example is based on two scenarios for apple supply chains, with a long-distance imported product that has a higher environmental impact than local varieties. In the second example that focuses on yogurt's last-mile delivery, it is shown that local stores or e-commerce often result in lower emissions due to reduced consumer travel or more efficient logistics. The objective of the ENOUGH tool is to empower users to identify and implement comprehensive strategies that make food supply systems more sustainable and environmentally friendly.