Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a decision‐making framework for outsourcing levels of logistics activities. These are: execution level of basic activities (such as transportation, warehousing); value‐added activities; planning and control level of activities (such as transportation and inventory management); and strategic decision‐making level of activities (distribution network design).Design/methodology/approach: The research design comprises three stages. Literature review was undertaken to study outsourcing theories. Successively, case studies on three food manufacturers were conducted resulting in a framework for make‐or‐buy decision. Finally, an exploratory survey was undertaken to examine the determinant factors for outsourcing the different activities.Findings: Results indicate that logistics activities at different levels are outsourced for different reasons. Three main determinant factors are identified: asset specificity, core closeness and supply chain complexity. This implies that the evaluation of outsourcing different activities requires insights of three theories, namely transaction cost, resource‐based and supply chain management theory.Research limitations/implications: The research and resulting framework are based on three small cases. Furthermore, there are few companies that outsource higher levels of activities, which limits the statistical assessment of the survey results.Practical implications: The framework can support the decision‐making process for outsourcing different logistics activities in food industry.Originality/value: The key contribution of this paper is that it creates a comprehensive framework for outsourcing of both basic and advanced logistics activities specifically for the food industry.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram‐negative bacterium that is naturally present in the marine environment. Oysters, which are water filter feeders, may accumulate this pathogen in their soft tissues, thus increasing the risk of V. parahaemolyticus infection among people who consume oysters. In this review, factors affecting V. parahaemolyticus accumulation in oysters, the route of the pathogen from primary production to consumption, and the potential effects of climate change were discussed. In addition, intervention strategies for reducing accumulation of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters were presented. A literature review revealed the following information relevant to the present study: (a) managing the safety of oysters (for human consumption) from primary production to consumption remains a challenge, (b) there are multiple factors that influence the concentration of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters from primary production to consumption, (c) climate change could possibly affect the safety of oysters, both directly and indirectly, placing public health at risk, (d) many intervention strategies have been developed to control and/or reduce the concentration of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters to acceptable levels, but most of them are mainly focused on the downstream steps of the oyster supply chain, and (c) although available regulation and/or guidelines governing the safety of oyster consumption are mostly available in developed countries, limited food safety information is available in developing countries. The information provided in this review may serve as an early warning for managing the future effects of climate change on the safety of oyster consumption.

This research prepared chitosan–PLA plastic films by extrusion, analyzed the physical and mechanical properties and antibacterial activity of the fabricated plastic films, and used them to preserve grouper fillet. We added chitosan (220 kDa, 93% DD) in the weight ratio of 0.5–2% into the PLA to prepare the chitosan–PLA films. With the increasing chitosan dosage, both the water vapor transmission rate and moisture content of chitosan–PLA films increased. Among the three doses of chitosan (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) added to PLA, 0.5% chitosan–PLA film had the highest antibacterial activity. This plastic film had an inhibitory efficiency of over 95% against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Staphylococcus aureus. The action of covering the fish fillet with 0.5% chitosan–PLA film significantly reduced several microbes’ counting (i.e., mesophiles, psychrophiles, coliforms, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Vibrio) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) value in the grouper fillets stored at 4 °C. Thus, such action prolongs the fish fillets’ shelf life to up to at least nine days, and this 0.5% chitosan–PLA film shows promising potential for preserving refrigerated fish.

• Review of food safety analysis enabled by nucleic acid amplification (NAA)-based methods. • Review of the applicability of NAA-based methods for on-site testing. • Identification of prospects and technical challenges in NAA-based methods. • Discussion on promoting widespread implementation of NAA-based methods.