Blockchain Technology in the Food Industry: A Review of Potentials, Challenges and Future Research Directions

Abderahman Rejeb, John G. Keogh, Suhaiza Zailani, Horst Treiblmaier and Karim Rejeb
Additional contact information
Abderahman Rejeb: Doctoral School of Regional Sciences and Business Administration, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Györ, Hungary
John G. Keogh: Henley Business School, University of Reading‚ Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames RG93AU, UK
Suhaiza Zailani: Department of Operations Management and Information System, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50203, Malaysia
Horst Treiblmaier: Department of International Management, Modul University Vienna, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Karim Rejeb: Higher Institute of Computer Science El Manar, 2, Rue Abou Raïhan El Bayrouni, 2080 Ariana, Tunisia

Logistics, 2020, vol. 4, issue 4, 1-26

Abstract: Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising technology with far-reaching implications for the food industry. The combination of immutability, enhanced visibility, transparency and data integrity provides numerous benefits that improve trust in extended food supply chains (FSCs). Blockchain can enhance traceability, enable more efficient recall and aids in risk reduction of counterfeits and other forms of illicit trade. Moreover, blockchain can enhance the integrity of credence claims such as sustainably sourced, organic or faith-based claims such as kosher or halal by integrating the authoritative source of the claim (e.g., the certification body or certification owner) into the blockchain to verify the claim integrity and reassure business customers and end consumers. Despite the promises and market hype, a comprehensive overview of the potential benefits and challenges of blockchain in FSCs is still missing. To bridge this knowledge gap, we present the findings from a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of sixty-one (61) journal articles and synthesize existing research. The main benefits of blockchain technology in FCSs are improved food traceability, enhanced collaboration, operational efficiencies and streamlined food trading processes. Potential challenges include technical, organizational and regulatory issues. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our research and present several ideas for future research.

Keywords: blockchain technology; food supply chain; potentials; challenges; systematic literature review; bibliometric analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/4/4/27/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/4/4/27/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:4:y:2020:i:4:p:27-:d:434601

Access Statistics for this article

Logistics is currently edited by Ms. Mavis Li

More articles in Logistics from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().