Threats and Opportunities for Global Food Companies: Identifying Social and Environmental Issues in Food Value Chain to Create Shared Value

Purpose: This paper aims to identify social and environmental issues in value chain of food companies to create shared value. We provided most affecting social and environmental issues on businesses companies value chain; in addition to that we provided some solutions to social and environmental problems based on shared value concept.

Design/methodology/approach: The authors provide a proposed approach based on the specificity of problems and issues in agricultural and global food companies. The objective is to identify environmental and social issues in food value chain in order to invest in these issues to create shared value.

Findings: We found that every primary and secondary activity within food value chain is characterized by some social and environmental problems. We analyzed these social and environmental issues in every single activity. In addition to that we provided proposed solutions to these social and environmental issues using shared value concept in every single activity within company value chain.

Research limitations/implications: This research paper determines social and environmental issues in value chain for food global companies; however, more research is needed to find other social and environmental issues in other sectors.

Practical implications: This overview may help and give ideas to owners and managers of food companies to rethink their overall value chain by detecting environmental and social issues and used shared value concept to turn these environmental and social issues into a business opportunity.

Originality/value: A unique view of value chain analyzed by identifying environmental and social issues using shared value concept.