Food systems in small island economies

Abstract

Small island economies have very specific retail formats and supply systems for fresh fruits and vegetables. Food stalls mainly offer local products; mini-marts/local supermarkets offer a few ship-freight imported products; and internationalised supermarkets offer a broad assortment of local, ship-freight and air-freight articles. Studying the food systems of these small island economies reveals how the different market shares of the products and the organisation of the supply chain are very much dependent on the connectivity and the market volume of the respective island states. Studying these economies therefore provides an important lens through which to explore the challenges and opportunities of ensuring equitable access to fresh fruits and vegetables within constrained food systems, even in other, larger countries, in the spirit of the call by Veenendaal and Corbett (2015).