How would you like the job of managing the supply chain from farm to fork? In today’s world with its global marketplace, a growing population, crisis upon crisis and shortages, getting food to consumers’ plates can feel like herding kittens. On the bright side, a smooth supply chain not only means satisfied customers with full bellies, it also gets you a bigger slice of the pie. In our Food Supply Chain Management minor you will learn to do just that.

What is food supply chain management?
In a nutshell, a food supply chain is a process that all food products go through, from production all the way through to consumption. It ensures that farm produce, livestock and food crop harvests are transported to consumers via a series of go-betweens, such as dairy companies, meat processing companies, wholesalers, cooperatives, supermarkets and other retail outlets. Managing a food supply chain is challenging enough as it is, especially on a worldwide scale, without the pressure of uncalculated external factors. As a food supply chain manager, you source food products from all over the world, deal with production planning and logistics in a sustainable way, ensure products arrive on time in a 24/7 delivery economy, and prevent food from being wasted. In the meantime, you have to bear in mind local and international legislation, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

What will you learn?
Value creation and cost minimization are the keywords in this minor. This is because a well-run food supply chain minimizes costs and creates value for money. To achieve this, you will learn all there is to know about logistics, procurement management, distribution management, sustainability and lean management. From this you will gain a deeper understanding of the food supply chain and its logistics and be able to work as a consultant who is able to solve bottlenecks and give good advice, by focusing on the analysis of problems and by developing best case solutions. Visits of farmers, suppliers/distributors, and making analyses of start-ups like Flevofood, will be part of this minor.

Competencies
To present, to research, to innovate, and to endorse sustainable behaviour (researching, innovating, implementing and presenting new strategies for real life business /company problems or challenges in order to optimize their supply chain).

This minor is for students who have no former background knowledge of supply chain management or logistics.

Dani, S., 2015. Food Supply Chain Management and Logistics. 1st ed. London: Kogan Page. ISBN 978 0 7494 7364 8.

Weele, A. v. J., 2018. Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. 7th ed. Hampshire: Cengage. ISBN 101844800245.

Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & Supply Chain Management. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 101292083794.

Schedule
For this minor the classes will be held throughout the first semester of the school year. Classes and project work will be scheduled 2 days every week from Sept t/m Jan.
On Monday and Tuesday in the weeks: 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 and 2.

Code: ASCM01
Name: Professional Task, project
EC: 4
Type exam: assessment
Period: 2

Code: ASCM02
Name: Logistics in practise, management game
EC: 2
Type exam: assignment
Period: 2

Code: ASCM03
Name: sustainable food supply chain mgt and logistics
EC: 3
Type exam: written exam
Period: 1

Code: ASCM05
Name: Lean and reverse logistics
EC: 3
Type exam: written exam
Period: 2

Code: ASCM06
Name: purchase and distribution mgt
EC: 3
Type exam: written exam
Period: 2

Aeres UAS – Green at heart
Aeres University of Applied Sciences (UAS) is the food and agriculture study programme specialist in the Netherlands, which is the second largest agricultural exporting country in the world. The Dronten faculty of Aeres UAS is literally located close to Nature and to farmland, making it a green organization at heart. Many of its study programmes are about an important basic need, namely food. The atmosphere is similar to that of a country town, where people are easy-going, friendly and willing to help one another. So, it is hardly surprising that in every programme, much time is spent on personal development. After all, it is people who get the job done.

Apply now!
So, what do you think? Can you see yourself playing your part in food supply chain management? Apply now or click the link for more information on the Food Supply Chain Management minor.

Additional information
For extra information on the module, contact Elsbeth Kauffmann, e.kauffmann@aeres.nl