Design of a distribution network for the school lunch program

  • Ayyuce Aydemir-Karadag Cankaya University
  • Erol Akdere Cankaya University

Abstract

The national school lunch program (NSLP) is crucial for providing healthy, inexpensive, or free lunches to children, thus benefiting society. Designing a distribution network for the program requires solving a location and routing problem. In this paper, first, we formulate a nonlinear integer programming formulation of the problem. Then, since the problem is Np-hard, we develop a two-step approach. The first stage presents a K-mean clustering method that deals with routing decisions by determining the FPC locations and allocating schools to these centers. The second stage offers a multi-objective mixed-integer linear mathematical model for finding the locations of distribution centers. Besides economic and environmental factors, we optimize travel time on the network as perishable items are involved. A weighted sum approach is presented for different weights of objectives. We provide a real case study in Turkey. The numerical results provide valuable information for decision-makers and authorities to prioritize and prepare action plans.

Published
2021-11-03
Section
Industrial Engineering