How Important are Digital Technologies for Urban Food Security? A Framework for Supply Chain Integration using IoT

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the role of digital technologies in food system innovations for healthy food access and waste reduction. It seeks to expand the knowledge of commercial food system interventions from the industrial supply side for improving public and planetary health. For this, we review the literature on urban food supply chains and synthesize the findings (from 33 screened articles) into thematic clusters. The first iteration of the review gives an overview of food supply chain problems and possible Industry 4.0-based solutions. Four technology intervention opportunities for integrated supply chains emerge from the literature, namely digital platforms, enterprise information systems, traceability systems, and blockchain. Findings indicate limited empirical research on supply chain digitalization for healthy food access. Therefore, this position paper presents a framework for supply chain integration in urban food systems, emphasizing digital technology interventions and the research directions for food supply chain digitalization.