Evaluating the Sustainability Dimensions in the Food Supply Chain: Literature Review and Research Routes

Maria Elena Latino, Marta Menegoli and Martina De Giovanni
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Maria Elena Latino: Innovation Engineering Department, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Marta Menegoli: Innovation Engineering Department, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Martina De Giovanni: Innovation Engineering Department, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-25

Abstract: Nowadays, the world is facing numerous sustainability challenges and the modern food system is called to innovate processes or products in order to remain competitive within the market, as well as answering to strategic government guidelines for a more sustainable food supply chain. This study aims to investigate what the main research routes of a sustainable food supply chain are, explored by the international scientific panorama, with a view for providing companies with a framework of the sustainability paths that can be followed, and, to researchers, gaps and future research routes to explore. A systematic review method is adopted through bibliometric analysis and results were obtained with VOSViewer software support. Descriptive and thematic analyses allowed us to discover the bibliometric characteristics of the sample, the main specific topics and the related research routes already addressed in sustainable food supply chain, the main food supply chain models studied in association with sustainability and the effort employed by academia to investigate the three sustainability dimensions: environmental, economic and social. Concluding, the research field of sustainability in the food supply chain is focused on management issues able to generate impacts on process, systems, practices, production and quality.

Keywords: sustainability; food supply chain; economic sustainability; social sustainability; environmental sustainability; systematic review; bibliometric analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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