Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings

Purpose Inspired by a food bank distribution operation, this paper aims to study synchronized vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation. The primary goal is to improve operational efficiency while ensuring equitable and effective food distribution among the partner agencies. Design/methodology/approach This study introduces a multiobjective Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model aimed at addressing the complex challenge of effectively distributing food, particularly for food banks serving vulnerable populations in low-income urban and rural areas. The optimization approach described in this paper places a significant emphasis on social and economic considerations by fairly allocating food to food bank partner agencies while minimizing routing distance and waste. To assess the performance of the approach, this paper evaluates three distinct models, focusing on key performance measures such as effectiveness, equity and efficiency. The paper conducts a comprehensive numerical analysis using randomly generated data to gain insights into the trade-offs that arise and provide valuable managerial insights for food bank managers. Findings The results of the analysis highlight the models that perform better in terms of equity and effectiveness. Additionally, the results show that restocking the vehicles through the concept of synchronization improves the overall quantity of food allocation to partner agencies, thereby increasing accessibility. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes significantly to the literature on optimization approaches in the field of humanitarian logistics. Practical implications This study provides food bank managers with three different models, each with a multifaceted nature of trade-offs, to better address the complex challenges of food insecurity. Social implications This paper contributes significantly to social responsibility by enhancing the operational efficiency of food banks, ultimately improving their ability to serve communities in need. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to propose and analyze this new variant of vehicle routing problems in nonprofit settings.