Improving Traceability in the Food Supply Chain Management System

Abstract

Recent food crises and disruptions in the food supply chain because of the COVID-19 pandemic demand extensive commitment, transparency, authenticity, and traceability from food chain stakeholders. Traceability is a key tool for the management of food safety, quality, and consumer satisfaction. Traditional traceability systems are based on centralized management of information which raises concerns regarding data tampering and real time monitoring of product life cycle. However, disruptions in the supply chain due to the pandemic, consumer concerns and changes in purchasing protocols have urged the food industry to adopt a decentralized traceability system to ensure reliability and sustainability in the food chain. The recent improvements in food traceability systems are centered around decentralized systems such as blockchain integrated with the internet of things (IOTs), radio frequency identification (RFID), etc. Although the adoption of these improvements is challenging for the food industry, the digitalization of the supply chain and integrated smart traceability systems are the solution for pandemic induced disruptions and future hurdles of the food supply chain.