From Uberisation to Commoning: Experiences, Challenges, and Potential Pathways of the Sharing Economy in Food Supply Chains in Europe

AbstractThe chapter explores a broad dimensionality of experiences, learnings, challenges, and potential pathways of the sharing economy in food supply chains. Through technology-enabled business applications, the mobilisation of underutilised assets has been successfully facilitated in the foodservice industry. Community-based models have been relying on the mutual risk-sharing of producers and consumers. Service models and the uberisation of food, when contract workers use their personal vehicles to deliver food to customers, has gained more acknowledgement during the COVID-19 times. Based on our qualitative study, various peer-to-peer production and collaborative consumption initiatives are presented in this chapter to assess how the idea of sharing economy entered the food sector. Our arguments are substantiated with varied case examples at multiple value chain points (e.g., production, processing, transport, and consumption).