ECO-DISTRIBUTION CENTRES FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE FUNCTION OF CONSUMER POTENTIAL OF URBAN CENTRES

Spatial expansion and increasing population of cities is turning them into neuralgic points of the food supply chain. Due to its structure and the speed of life processes, food is delivered to urban centres through conventional supply chains, and therefore, today we are faced with an extremely dependent consumer (due to the lack of food self-supply). For this reason, the strategic development of cities requires sustainable thinking and reasoning when it comes to food supply. A simple possible solution for the continuous and sustainable supply for the urban population is the development of ecodistribution centres for agri-food products. With the implementation of this model, numerous effects can be achieved; developing the rural environment of cities reduces the pressure of population inflows; ensuring the supply of fresh, high-quality food in