Alternative Food Networks challenges and opportunities : A study of REKO-Rings in Jönköping County, contributing to sustainability

Purpose – This study aims to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by the REKO-Rings as a form of alternative food networks (AFNs). By exploring the challenges faced by producers and consumers in participating in REKO-Rings, this study will ultimately identify several opportunities and potential solutions to help Jönköping County develop AFNs. Method – This study uses case studies as the methodology. Literature review, interviews, observations, and questionnaires are used as the research methods. Triangulation is used in the empirical study and combined with qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Findings – The study shows that the literature contributed twelve challenges, of which the empirical data confirmed eleven challenges and identified six challenges that are not mentioned in the literature. The challenges faced by producers are market demand, logistics and operations, knowledge and skills, policy, animals and nature, financial statements and individual consumers and yield. Consumers' challenges include price, trust, skills, time and geography, privacy, order tracking, pandemic, and product packaging. Finally, seven challenges provide opportunities to develop REKO-Rings, namely market demand, logistics and operation, knowledge and skill (for the producer), policy, price, skill (for the customer), and time. Implications – The study contributes to theoretical research on the subject because the results update the theoretical progress and identify new challenges for the participation of REKO-Rings. This study also contributes to developing business for producers and improving the shopping experience for consumers participating in REKO-Rings. The study also provides managerial implications as the results are fed back to the interviewed administrators and project publishers to support managers in creating targeted strategies. Limitations – The study is limited to Jönköping County and focused on one form of alternative food network: REKO-Rings