Due to these specific characteristics of food products, the partnership thoughts of
SCM in FSCs have already received much attention over the past years. It is vital for
industrial producers to contract suppliers to guarantee the supply of raw materials in
terms of the right volume, quality, place, and time. Furthermore, they coordinate the
timing of the supply of goods with suppliers, to match capacity availability. Actors in
FSCNs understand that products are subject to quality decay as they traverse the
supply chain, while the degree and speed of decay may be influenced by environmental
conditions. For example, exposing a batch of fresh milk, fruit or meat to high
temperatures for some time will significantly reduce product keeping quality (shelf life).
Supply chain coordination is essential to make appropriate decisions on food
conditioning.