In the last decade, interest in locally produced food and sustainable food systems has been increasing both in Slovenia and worldwide, which has strengthened the role of local suppliers in food supply chains. The selection of an appropriate supplier represents an important factor for successful business operations, as it affects product quality, reliability of supply, and operational costs. In practice, companies often rely on subjective assessments or the lowest price when selecting suppliers, which can lead to suboptimal decisions. The main objective of this thesis is to develop a multi-criteria decision-making model for supporting the selection of local suppliers of food products. The model enables systematic, transparent, and objective decision-making and is based on the DEX method and the DEXi software tool. It incorporates economic, quality-related, technical, and other relevant criteria. The theoretical part of the thesis presents local food systems, short food supply chains, supplier selection criteria, and the fundamentals of multi-criteria decision-making. The empirical part focuses on applying the developed model to a practical case of selecting a supplier of dairy products in the Pomurje region. Three potential suppliers were evaluated based on predefined criteria. The research results confirm that the use of a multi-criteria decision-making model enables a more structured and objective supplier selection process and reduces the influence of subjective factors. The developed model represents a useful tool for companies and public institutions and may contribute to more efficient management of local food supply chains.
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