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Dear Colleagues,

The modern agri-food chain involves multiple actors with different interests, multiple stages, and, not least, multiple risks requiring complex, multilateral, and multilevel governance on a large scale. In recent years, diverse chemical, biological, and environmental risks (e.g., natural toxins, anthropogenic pollutants, food-borne pathogens, GHG emissions, and resource depletion) to or caused by the agri-food chain, due to accidents, process and waste mismanagement, and internal/external contamination sources, have inevitably treathened the sustainability and the healthiness of the chain itself.

Against this background, and in line with the Farm to Fork Strategy, which represents the core of the European Green Deal, the agri-food system requires major transformations on behalf of promoting sustainability, reducing waste, and stimulating a change toward healthy and safe diets.

Hence, review and original research articles on innovative and green approaches/solutions aiming at the (i) reduction in food contamination, (ii) minimization of food loss and waste, and (iii) change toward plant-based diets are of great interest to this Special Issue.

The hope is that this Special Issue will emphasize the potential for multidisciplinary approaches to the complex set of challenges observed in the multiple processes and stages of the agri-food chain, in the perspective of achieving a more productive agri-food system without compromising the sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppa Di Bella
Dr. Ambrogina Albergamo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

food waste
food contamination
sustainable agri-food chain
circular economy

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21 pages, 10842 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Achieving UN SDGs in Food Supply Chain Using Blockchain Technology

by Anulipt Chandan, Michele John and Vidyasagar Potdar

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2109; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032109 - 22 Jan 2023

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 7254

Abstract

Food supply chains are highly distributed, collaborative, heterogeneous, diverse, and varied by product, process, and destination. The global food supply chain (FSC) objective is to maintain a good balance between supply and demand and move products from producer to market. However, sustainability of the FSC has become a major concern as limited resources and increasing population pressure threaten its existence. Supply chain management is an important issue for FSC due to information flow throughout the supply chain. Industry-specific characteristics and extensive integration among multiple actors in an entire supply chain exacerbate this situation. The agri-food sector has one of the lowest rates of information technology penetration for innovation. Over the past thirty years, information and communication technology (ICT) has been introduced into the agricultural and food sectors, helping to improve food production and transportation. However, there are various challenges, such as transparency, accountability, food scandal, trust, and inefficient information flow, that the food supply chain is still facing in reaching sustainable goals. The complexity of food supply systems and the opportunities and challenges faced regarding desired sustainability performance need to be examined to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Blockchain is an emerging and disruptive digital technology that can transform governance and sustainability in integrated food supply chains. It provides a transparent, immutable, and traceable ledger that minimizes anomalies and information fraud, making it a potential solution for designing a transparent, traceable food system. Blockchain can potentially improve the sustainability of the food supply chain by providing a transparent traceability system. Food traceability is important for managing the food supply chain and protecting public health. It allows quick and accurate traceability of contaminated food that causes foodborne illness outbreaks, leading to the withdrawal of contaminated food from markets. Blockchain can achieve traceability, provenance tracking, transparency, and reduce environmental impact in the food supply chain. It also helps in achieving sustainable development goals set by the UN. However, there is no scientific research on blockchain’s contribution to achieving these goals in the food supply chain. Therefore, this article presents a systematic literature review and thematic analysis to study the relationship between FSC sustainability, blockchain, and sustainable development goals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards a Sustainable Agri-Food Chain: Safety Concerns and Green Solutions)

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