Big data in the food supply chain: a literature review

Abderahman Rejeb,John G Keogh,Karim Rejeb

doi:10.1007/s42488-021-00064-0

Abstract

The emergence of big data (BD) offers new opportunities for food businesses to address emerging risks and operational challenges. BD denotes the integration and analysis of multiple data sets, which are inherently complex, voluminous and are often of inadequate quality and structure. While BD is a well-established method in supply chain management, academic research on its application in the food ecosystem is still lagging. To fill this knowledge gap and capture the latest developments in this field, a systematic literature review was performed. Forty-one papers were selected and thoroughly examined and analysed to identify the enablers of BD in the food supply chain. The review primarily attempted to obtain an answer to the following research question: “What are the possibilities of leveraging big data in the food supply chain?“ Six significant benefits of applying BD in the food industry were identified, namely, the extraction of valuable knowledge and insights, decision-making support, improvement of food chain efficiencies, reliable forecasting, waste minimization, and food safety. Finally, some challenges and future research directions were outlined.

Highlights

The food industry is an integral part of every economy and plays a critical role in supplying the necessities for human survival and provides consumer choice (Turi et al 2014)
By synthesizing the literature published in leading journals, authors strive to demonstrate how the adoption of big data (BD) in the food supply chain will improve operational efficiencies, enhance food quality and safety, and develop a sustainable food ecosystem. In dealing with this increasingly important topic, this study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the following research question (RQ): RQ: What are the possibilities of leveraging BD in the food supply chain?
Oceania represents 2% of the total studies. These findings suggest that the rise of BD is not limited to developed economies, and the technology has extended to the food supply chains of the developing economies (Fig. 3)

Summary

Introduction

The food industry is an integral part of every economy and plays a critical role in supplying the necessities for human survival and provides consumer choice (Turi et al 2014). RFID enables the real-time monitoring and visibility of re-usable assets such as pallets or totes carrying food products It facilitates the acquisition of more accurate inventory data and tracking of food cargo at various levels of aggregation in the supply chain. The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) enhances the pervasive presence of ‘things’ or ‘objects’ with RFID tags, sensors and actuators interacting or participating on a network (Atzori et al 2010). This can benefit the food industry and improve aspects such as the management of food loss (food loss occurs in pre-consumer phases) and food waste (Wen et al 2018). Technology is leveraged to process and handle large data streams from multiple sources and origins in the food chain

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Conclusion