Fair and efficient wholesale market for improving fruit and vegetable consumption

An important role in promoting the marketing and consumption of fruit and vegetables is due to wholesale distribution, which is responsible for ensuring the link between the supply chain and the distribution network for both large-scale retailers and the traditional channel (Cesaretti and Green, 2006, ISMEA, 2021). It is implicit that efficient organisational forms favour the distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables and the access to biodiversity products especially for the benefit of less wealthy consumers. In recent years, wholesale markets supplying the large-scale retail trade have become more concentrated and expanded, while those supplying traditional retail are shrinking and in some cases are at risk of closure, putting the traditional retail sector at risk.

However, the use of new technologies and the emerging role of the quality (Amorosino, 2011) can lead to an improvement in supply chain management allowing for greater optimization of the system, especially with regard to the management of general markets.

The objective of the Task is to analyse innovative strategic, organisational and logistical models used by different types of wholesale distribution, such as central purchasing platforms and general wholesale markets, aimed at promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. 
The research involves the development of the following phases: 
1) analysis of the organisational and governance forms of wholesale distribution systems for large-scale distribution and traditional retailing;
2) analysis of good practices used to promote fruit and vegetable consumption and sustainable management of local, national and international value chains through the use of KPIs and appropriate statistical methodologies (TPB and Cluster analysis).
3) analysis of social sustainability of innovative organisational models for the wholesale markets aimed at improving the nutritional consumers wellbeing 
4) stakeholder analysis (also using Social Network Analysis) aimed to propose recommendations to improve the marketing and consumption of biodiversity fruit and horticultural products.

The expected results of the task are summarized in the following points:
1. Report on the organizational and governance forms of wholesale distribution systems for large-scale distribution and traditional retailing focusing on their strategy for promote the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetable.
2. Report on innovative organizational models for the wholesale markets aimed at improving the nutritional consumers wellbeing.
3. Recommendations to improve the marketing and consumption of fruit and vegetables also taking into consideration the motivations (e.g., health, protection of the landscape, biodiversity, safety); the value (e.g., value attributed to the quality of biodiversity horticultural products by main attributes) and the quality (e.g., taste, freshness, convenience, culinary traditions, etc.) attributed by consumers to local and biodiverse fruits and horticultural products.