When Systems Fail: The Societal Impact of Catering Disruptions in Crisis Scenarios

Abstract

This article examines the critical yet often overlooked role of catering systems in humanitarian operations during crisis scenarios. By examining a range of case studies involving natural disasters, medical evacuations, and conflict zones, the research highlights that catering disruptions pose a serious obstacle to the effectiveness of humanitarian flights, emergency medical evacuations, and disaster relief operations. The theoretical framework establishes catering as a critical infrastructure with cascading vulnerabilities throughout response networks. Findings reveal systematic patterns including underrepresentation in planning, bottleneck vulnerabilities at transportation hubs, communication disconnects between stakeholders, distributional inequities favoring international personnel, and underestimation of psychological impacts. The evidence suggests that catering systems represent a vulnerable point in humanitarian supply chains that warrants greater attention in disaster planning and crisis management protocols. Recommendations for enhancing resilience in humanitarian catering operations are provided based on cross-case analysis of documented catering system failures across diverse crisis contexts.