Search Results (47)

The food consumption stage, the final step in the food supply chain (FSC), where food has already undergone resource-intensive processes, plays a central role in the transition to a sustainable food system. Consumers’ food choices and consumption practices directly influence food demand, production methods, and resource use across the FSC. These factors affect global challenges such as overconsumption, malnutrition, hunger, and food waste (FW)—issues integral to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this study aims to identify key aspects of the food consumption stage that influence the shift toward sustainability and to develop a conceptual framework to guide this transition. To achieve this, an integrative literature review (ILR), supported by bibliometric analysis and narrative review elements, was conducted to strengthen the conceptual foundation. The results reveal four central aspects: FW and its reduction, the need for dietary shifts, changes in consumer behaviour, and policy reform, highlighting the consumer and their behaviour as the central connecting element. Based on the findings, a framework was developed linking the identified problems with targeted solutions, which can be implemented through various tools that also act as drivers of change, enhancing sustainable food consumption, food system sustainability, and the achievement of global SDGs. Full article

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are rates, percentages, or averages that convey information depending on their application field. In the Food Supply Chain (FSC), a comprehensive study is lacking. This paper fills the gap through a systematic literature review of 125 documents on FSC performance measurement. Bibliometric analysis shows a growing publication trend, with common keywords being KPIs, supply chain management, performance, and sustainability. Content analysis identifies nine FSC product types, with agricultural, dairy, and meat products being the most common categories. Similarly, three FSC areas (supply, production, distribution) are outlined, with production receiving the greatest attention. Finally, KPIs are classified into economic, environmental, and social sustainability categories, to highlight their relationships with the triple bottom line. A framework including the most common KPIs for each stage of the FSC is also proposed, together with the specific KPIs for the different product types. Full article

This study applies the socio-metabolic approach and relatedly the concept of planetary urbanization understanding to detect the identity of the “alternative zones” embedded in the food supply chain of cities (FSC). To achieve shortened and sustainable FSCs for cities, strong alternative food networks (AFNs) should be developed and sustained. The precious element of a strong AFN is its urban areas, which serve as niche alternative food initiatives (AFIs) for sustainability transitions in food supply chains (FSCs). To achieve shorter and more sustainable FSCs in cities, it is crucial to develop and sustain empowered alternative food networks (AFNs) by deploying their AFIs. Within this context, this study examines AFIs in 12 European FUSILLI cities to understand the potential of the intrinsic AFN to accelerate the sustainable transition in FSCs. Considering the results of AFNs in accelerating sustainability transitions in FSCs. Results through spatial analyses of food ecosystems of FUSILLI cities, although there are prominent examples with a strong short and alternative food network, it is obvious that the sustainable transition into an alternative food network has proceeded; however, the analysis of AFNs in FUSILLI cities demonstrates that sustainability transitions have advanced through vigorous AFNs. However, extended urban areas still have room to supersede their place in conventional/industrial agricultural production, which remains embedded in these spaces. The same inference applies to urban—rural linkages, which need to be strengthened to support the relocation of the food system in the development of AFNs in urban areas and to create more sustainable and shortened FSCs. Also, it is obvious that cities with greater extended AFNs, for example, Rome, due to its great number of AFIs and geographical extent of AFN covering concentrated urban areas and to strengthen the rural–urban linkage for shortened food supply chains, as well as extended urban areas, and Oslo, due to its great variety of AFIs embedded in concentrated urban areas with alternative food production areas in its (erstwhile rural areas) extended urban areas. Full article

The food supply chain (FSC) faces significant challenges, including the short shelf life of products, stringent food safety standards, and the growing demand for online ordering. These challenges underscore the need for a resilient and sustainable FSC, particularly in the confectionery industry, which is further burdened by the demand for innovative and healthier products. The aim of this paper is to optimize material handling activities in warehouse operations within the confectionery industry by ranking and selecting adequate material handling equipment (MHE). This paper proposes a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model that integrates the Simple Aggregation of Preferences Expressed by Ordinal Vectors Group Decision Making (SAPEVO-M), Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), and Fuzzy COmprehensive distance-Based Ranking (FCOBRA) methods. The model was applied to a real-world case study involving four alternative solutions and twelve defined evaluation criteria. The application of the model identified the implementation of an Automated Guided Vehicle system (AGVs) as the optimal alternative, offering substantial automation of logistics activities and addressing identified company challenges. The engagement of AGVs is estimated to reduce operational costs by 20%, improve warehouse operation efficiency by 30%, and decrease CO₂ emissions by 25%. The contribution of this paper lies in the development of a methodological framework for evaluating and selecting MHE, as well as in highlighting the importance of optimizing material handling processes in the confectionery industry. Full article

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that Latin America and the Caribbean experienced the most rapid rise in food insecurity, with approximately 47.7 million individuals in the region affected by hunger in 2022. In Chile, almost three million people, 15.6% of the country’s population, do not have regular access to sufficient nutritious food and suffer from some form of food insecurity. Moreover, Chile is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and contends with the depletion of several critical natural resources, notably water, stemming from severe and prolonged drought conditions. This article aims to comprehensively evaluate food loss and waste (FLW) in Chile and analyzes the implications of FLW on the sustainable development goal (SDG). This will be achieved by utilizing a top-down mass balance methodology that integrates various data sources and an in-depth analysis of the main food categories at different stages of the food supply chain (FSC). In 2021, Chile generated 5.18 million tons of FLW, with fruit being the largest contributor at 2.5 million tons (48% of total FLW). Vegetables accounted for 0.8 million tons (16%). Other food groups each contributed 1% to 10% of the total FLW. Per capita FLW was 295 kg. FLW varied by food group and FSC stage. Fruits, vegetables, starchy roots, and pulses had the most FLW early in the FSC, while cereals had it later. Comparing FLW with the domestic supply quantity of food, it is observed that 68% of the fruit available for the population was discarded. Vegetables and starchy roots also showed significant volumes of discarded food, with 48% and 29% of the availability of these products in Chile. Furthermore, we explore the implications of FLW on realizing SDG 2—zero hunger, particularly emphasizing its correlation with target 12.3. The research underscores the potential of its findings to significantly shape public policies and strategies concerning FLW and their alignment with the associated SDGs, making a tangible impact on the lives of millions. Full article

This paper aims to analyze and define incentives for the implementation of modern technology and digitalization of the Food Supply Chain (FSC) in the function of sustainability of the food retail sector of the Western Balkans (WB) region. The survey method was applied to a sample of 255 employees. We tested the importance of certain indicators for the implementation of the digitalization process, such as the application of Blockchain Technology (BT), the use of modern IT solutions for traceability, the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT), the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), development of a system for electronic food placement, implementation of standards, measures, and procedures for regulating the digitalization process, continuous training of employees and economic and financial measures and incentives. A special segment of research deals with the impact of the implemented digitalization process on the sustainability of food placement. The research was conducted among employees of SMEs, large-scale business entities, and retail chains. The research results showed significant deviations from the mentioned incentives to the digitalization process depending on the size of the FSC participants. The work has practical implications because the obtained results show the FSC management, trade policy makers, and competent institutions (ministries, chambers of commerce, professional associations) what measures to apply in order to improve a more efficient implementation of the digitalization process of food placement and lay the foundation for the sustainability of the FSC. Guidelines for future research are outlined in the paper. Full article

The current global economic status quo is widely seen as unsustainable in the food sector. The field of sustainability science is still rather fragmented, covering a wide range of techniques and issues, despite the large number of publications in this area. Due to population growth, the food supply chain (FSC) and farmers have to produce more food. The UN estimates that one-third of edible food is wasted, producing greenhouse gases. A balance must be struck between company operations and social, environmental, and economic activities for sustainable development of the FSC. To assist FSC organizations in managing sustainable advancement, this study created a methodology for the assessment of sustainable performance. We provide a sustainable assessment system using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, fuzzy VIKOR, and fuzzy TOPSIS. Our research framework evaluated the sustainability of three cooperative-society-run Indian dairy firms. Our study gives environmental criteria the highest weight (0.33) and social criteria the lowest (0.16), with economic reasons (0.306) and business operations (0.204) falling in the middle. Supply chain costs, on average, are given the highest weight, and capacity utilization, the lowest weight. Three dairy industries are ranked (DPI3, DPI1, and DPI2) based on sustainable performance. By modifying the maximum set utility value and validating VIKOR results with TOPSIS, we have checked the robustness of this performance assessment tool. This research aids dairy businesses in achieving several Sustainable Development Goals, including sustainable production and consumption, through the regular assessment of their sustainable performance. Full article

Infant formula milk (IFM) is critical in the diet of many babies and must be of high-quality. Unfortunately, IFM has been a target of adulteration by those attempting to make illegal profits and has suffered from contamination-related issues. This study’s main objective was to identify the most critical risks affecting IFM quality in the supply chain and determine mitigation strategies to improve IFM performance measurement. We developed a model to reduce adulteration and contamination rates in the infant formula milk supply chains (IFMSCs) and maximize safety. The steps to achieve the study’s objectives included: (1) identifying the importance of IFMs for infant nutrition and their risks; (2) establishing mitigation criteria for evaluating IFMSC’s performance to maximize quality; and (3) analyzing each mitigation criterion to maximize IFM safety. Based on pairwise comparisons by professionals in the food supply chain (FSC) of decision-making, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model was used to analyze and prioritize mitigation alternatives. According to the contamination quality risk agent, mitigation alternative (QR.M2) ranked highest. This study’s findings illustrate how vital avoiding risk is when dealing with public health, especially infants’ health, and how IFM must undergo precise testing and quality checks at every supply chain stage to ensure quality. Full article

Blockchain technology (BCT) has been proven to have the potential to transform food supply chains (FSCs) based on its potential benefits. BCT promises to improve food supply chain processes. Despite its several benefits, little is known about the factors that drive blockchain adoption within the food supply chain and the impact of blockchain technology on the food supply chain, as empirical evidence is scarce. This study, therefore, explores factors, impacts and challenges of blockchain adoption in the FSC. The study adopts an exploratory qualitative interview approach. The data consist of Twenty-one interviews which were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques in NVivo (v12), resulting in identifying nine factors classified under three broad categories (Technology—complexity, compatibility, cost; Organization—organization size, knowledge; Environment—government support, competitive pressure, standardization, and compliance) as the most significant factors driving blockchain adoption in the FSC. In addition, five impacts were identified (visibility, performance, efficiency, trust, and value creation) to blockchain technology adoption. This study also identifies significant challenges of blockchain technology (interoperability, privacy, infrastructure conditions, and lack of knowledge). Based on the findings, the study developed a conceptual framework for blockchain adoption in food supply chains. The study adds to the corpus of knowledge by illuminating the adoption of blockchain technology and its effects on food supply chains and by giving the industry evidence-based guidance for developing its blockchain plans. The study provides full insights and awareness of blockchain adoption challenges among executives, supply chain organizations, and governmental agencies. Full article

In the field of blockchain (BC) technology application in the food supply chain (FSC), a patent portfolio is collected, described, and analyzed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) modeling, with the aim of obtaining insight into technology trends in this emerging and promising field. A patent portfolio consisting of 82 documents was extracted from patent databases using PatSnap software. The analysis of latent topics using LDA indicates that inventions related to the application of BCs in FSCs are patented in four key areas: (A) BC-supported tracing and tracking in FSCs; (B) devices and methods supporting application of BCs in FSCs; (C) combining BCs and other ICT technologies in FSC; and (D) BC-supported trading in FSCs. Patenting of BC technology applications in FSCs started during the second decade of the 21st century. Consequently, patent forward citation has been relatively low, while the family size confirms that application of BCs in FSCs is not yet widely accepted. A significant increase in the number of patent applications was registered after 2019, indicating that the number of potential users in FSCs is expected to grow over time. The largest numbers of patents originate from China, India, and the US. Full article

This paper aims to define the negative impact of various indicators on the sustainability and functioning of the traditional food supply chain (FSC) in the segment of wholesale and retail activities and to propose a set of measures and incentives for the digitalization of its business processes. After a systematic review of the literature, the most common indicators significant for the functioning of the FSC were defined, primarily in the segment of wholesale and retail activities. Empirical research examined the influence of given indicators on the FSC. The obtained results showed that indicators such as poor coordination and transfer of information among FSC participants, food loss, economic performance, transaction costs, external elements, chemical and microbial contamination, and control of raw material, food, and waste flows significantly complicate the sustainability and functioning of the FSC. Based on the obtained results, a set of measures and incentives is proposed that the management of the supply chain should undertake to digitalize business processes, primarily in the segment of wholesale and retail activities. This paper also lists shortcomings of the research and gives guidelines for future research. Full article

Food supply chains are highly distributed, collaborative, heterogeneous, diverse, and varied by product, process, and destination. The global food supply chain (FSC) objective is to maintain a good balance between supply and demand and move products from producer to market. However, sustainability of the FSC has become a major concern as limited resources and increasing population pressure threaten its existence. Supply chain management is an important issue for FSC due to information flow throughout the supply chain. Industry-specific characteristics and extensive integration among multiple actors in an entire supply chain exacerbate this situation. The agri-food sector has one of the lowest rates of information technology penetration for innovation. Over the past thirty years, information and communication technology (ICT) has been introduced into the agricultural and food sectors, helping to improve food production and transportation. However, there are various challenges, such as transparency, accountability, food scandal, trust, and inefficient information flow, that the food supply chain is still facing in reaching sustainable goals. The complexity of food supply systems and the opportunities and challenges faced regarding desired sustainability performance need to be examined to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Blockchain is an emerging and disruptive digital technology that can transform governance and sustainability in integrated food supply chains. It provides a transparent, immutable, and traceable ledger that minimizes anomalies and information fraud, making it a potential solution for designing a transparent, traceable food system. Blockchain can potentially improve the sustainability of the food supply chain by providing a transparent traceability system. Food traceability is important for managing the food supply chain and protecting public health. It allows quick and accurate traceability of contaminated food that causes foodborne illness outbreaks, leading to the withdrawal of contaminated food from markets. Blockchain can achieve traceability, provenance tracking, transparency, and reduce environmental impact in the food supply chain. It also helps in achieving sustainable development goals set by the UN. However, there is no scientific research on blockchain’s contribution to achieving these goals in the food supply chain. Therefore, this article presents a systematic literature review and thematic analysis to study the relationship between FSC sustainability, blockchain, and sustainable development goals. Full article

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of supply chain integration (SCI), demand for halal products (DHP), halal marketing (HM), process quality improvement (PQI), food safety concerns (FSCs), and health consciousness (HC) on sustainable product performance (SPP) in the halal food industry in Malaysia. A survey was conducted with 212 respondents from Malaysian halal-certified companies, and the partial least squares (PLS-SEM) method was used for the data analysis. The findings indicate a positive and significant link between SCPI, HC, PQI, and SPP. In contrast, the findings show no significant link between HM, FSC, and SPP. DHP was found to have a negative, non-significant association with SPP. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and opportunities for future research. Full article

The Food Supply Chain (FSC) can be made more efficient, resilient, and transparent by implementing industry 4.0 technologies. In this context, blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) become a panacea for several FSC problems. As a result of FSC complexity and their specific needs, the adoption of Blockchain integrated IoT (B-IoT) in FSC is challenging, and further investigation is required. Therefore, this study aims to explore the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the adoption B-IoT in FSC. To achieve this objective, a literature review is conducted to identify the CSFs of B-IoT adoption and then a grey Delphi is conducted on finalised CSFs. Ten CSFs finalised that faceplate for the adoption of B-IoT in FSC. Further, these CSFs were analysed through a grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to determine the importance and causal relationships among them. A grey DEMATEL analysis also categorised these factors into influencing and influenced groups. The findings showed that “top management support”, “knowledge management”, “technology hardware readiness”, “skilled personnel”, and “high investment” were the influencing factors that needed to be addressed for the effective adoption of B-IoT. The FSC partners could benefit from the findings of this study by focusing on high-priority CSFs. The causal relationship among CSFs also helps the managers achieve optimal utilisation of resources. Further, this study encourages the FSC stakeholders to adopt the B-IoT in their supply chain to improve their performance. Full article

Tomatoes are an extensively cultivated and consumed horticulture product in India. Horticulture produce undergoes a series of operations such as harvesting, storage, packaging, loading, unloading, and transportation before reaching the end customer in the food supply chain (FSC). Any inefficiencies in these operations cause postharvest losses (PHL) and affect the whole FSC. However, the focus of existing studies has been more on improving productivity than addressing PHL. Several technologies, such as cold storage and evaporative cooling, are available to address PHL, but hardly any technology has been implemented in the Indian FSC. Hence, studies need to identify technology adoption barriers and perform a feasibility analysis of the available technologies. This study addresses this gap by first identifying the cause and effect of PHL in the Indian tomato FSC, exploring different technologies to address the PHL and challenges in implementing those technologies, and finally proposing a feasible option to manage PHL. The case study approach was followed for the collection of relevant data. The findings show several reasons for PHL across the stages of the FSC, including reduced shelf life due to improper storage and long-distance transport. Based on the analysis of the available technologies, temperature-controlled storage facilities and collaboration among FSC partners are suggested as the best possible solutions to address the problem of PHL. Full article