Assessment of the Impact of Food Storage Warehouse Safety on the Sustainability of Food Security in Urban Crisis Conditions

Food storage warehouses are critical infrastructures for urban food security, particularly during crises such as earthquakes, floods, fires, or pandemics. However, safety deficiencies in these warehouses including inadequate fire protection systems, structural vulnerabilities, poor ventilation, and lack of emergency power can lead to massive food loss and disrupt food supply chains precisely when they are most needed. This research assesses the impact of food storage warehouse safety on the sustainability of food security in Shiraz metropolis under urban crisis conditions. A mixed method approach is employed, including field safety audits of ۲۵ major food warehouses (cold storage, dry goods, and grain silos), semi structured interviews with ۱۵ warehouse managers and food safety experts, and scenario based risk analysis using fault tree analysis (FTA) and event tree analysis (ETA). Findings reveal that ۷۲% of warehouses lack automatic fire suppression systems, ۶۸% have inadequate emergency power backup (less than ۲۴ hours), and ۸۴% fail to maintain proper temperature and humidity monitoring during power outages. Simulation indicates that a fire or prolonged power outage during a major earthquake could destroy ۴۰ ۶۰% of stored food within the first ۷۲ hours, directly threatening food security for an estimated ۵۰۰,۰۰۰ urban residents. Key vulnerabilities include aging refrigeration equipment, non compliant electrical wiring, and absence of crisis response protocols. The research proposes a safety resilience framework for food warehouses comprising: mandatory fire suppression retrofits, redundant power and cold chain backup, structural seismic upgrades, and integration into municipal emergency food distribution plans. The conclusion is that without urgent safety improvements, food storage warehouses in Shiraz represent a critical weak link in urban food security during crises.

کلیدواژه ها:

food storage warehouse ، urban crisis ، food security ، warehouse safety ، shiraz