**4. Conclusion**

The purpose of this chapter was to discuss the possibility of having circular and lean food supply chains. The chapter started with an introduction to the need for circular and lean food supply chains. Then this was followed with the definition of lean production, a discussion of the origins and practices of lean and the lean tools. After that, the definition of circular economy, the practices of circular economy i.e. 3 Rs, and the definition of the circular supply chain were explained. Then the characteristics of the food supply chain were discussed. The chapter concludes with a critical discussion of the circular and lean supply chain characteristics. It is evident that both approaches can be combined in order to bring the ideal and desirable food supply chain of the future. Of course, none of them is panacea, and therefore food companies that wish to implement such practices need to adapt them to their own needs and abilities.

*Circular and Lean Food Supply Chains DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99769*
