Tackling Food Waste and Loss Through Digitalization in the Food Supply Chain

Strategic Insights -

A recent systematic review by researchers from University College London has shed new light on the use of digitalization to address food waste and loss (FWL) events in the food supply chain (FSC). The review, which analyzed 4277 abstracts and titles, as well as 129 full-text papers on the topic from 2014 to 2024, provides a comprehensive overview of how digital technologies can be used to tackle complex FWL events within the FSC. The research identifies and integrates the potential of 16 digital technologies, examining their application methods, corresponding FWL events, and deployment phases within the FSC.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study used a systematic literature review approach to analyze the application of digital technologies in addressing FWL events in the FSC, resulting in a unified and comprehensive overview of the current state of research in the field.
  • The review examined 16 digital technologies, including their application methods, corresponding FWL events, and deployment phases within the FSC, highlighting the potential of digitalization to tackle complex FWL events.
  • The research identified and integrated the relationships among drivers, actors, causes, actions, time, and places involved in addressing FWL events, developing a digital FWL network management framework to simulate the real-world process of how digitalization can tackle complex FWL events.
  • The review investigated the research trend, sustainable impact, potential drawbacks, and deployment obstacles of digital technologies in reducing FWL, identifying future research directions to improve the effectiveness of digitalization in addressing FWL events.
  • The study concluded that a multiple-technology perspective is essential to systematically illustrate how different digital technologies can address FWL events at various phases of the FSC.

Statistics:

  • 4277 abstracts and titles were analyzed as part of the systematic literature review.
  • 129 full-text papers on the topic from 2014 to 2024 were included in the review.
  • 16 digital technologies were identified and integrated in the review, examining their application methods, corresponding FWL events, and deployment phases within the FSC.
  • The research trend analysis revealed that digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in reducing FWL events in the FSC.
  • The study identified future research directions to improve the effectiveness of digitalization in addressing FWL events, including the development of more sophisticated FWL network management frameworks.

Sources:

  • Tackling Food Waste and Loss Through Digitalization In the Food Supply Chain: a Systematic Review and Framework Development. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2025;217.
  • Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Technological Forecasting and Social Change - www.journals.elsevier.com/technological-forecasting-and-social-change/)
  • University College London (UCL), 1-19 Torrington Pl, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom.