Unit 1: Definitions of Supply Chains

A supply chain is a system consisting of facilities which convert raw materials into finished products and are then distributed to end consumers or customers.

Following this general definition of supply chains, a food supply chain is the same system but applied to converting raw materials into finished food products which are then distributed to the end consumers. The actors in the six stages of the Food Supply Chain are producers, processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, and the government.