scholarly journals Towards Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector. A Systematic Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetta Esposito ◽  
Maria Rosaria Sessa ◽  
Daniela Sica ◽  
Ornella Malandrino

Over the last decade, the unsustainability of the current economic model, based on the so-called take-make-dispose paradigm, has emerged. In particular, the agro-food sector (AFS) has been severely affected by such problems as resource scarcity and food loss and waste generation along the supply chain. In addition, climate change and biodiversity loss have helped to define an imperative paradigm shift towards a circular economy. Recently, with the publication of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the scientific research examining the adoption of circular economy (CE) models and tools has increased. In this context, the importance of shifting towards a circular economy has become urgent. In this paper, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed to investigate the state-of-the-art research related to the adoption of circular economy models and tools along the agro-food supply chain. Furthermore, this review highlights that, due to the complexity of the agri-food supply chain, it is almost utopian to define a unique circular economy model for the whole sector. In addition, it emerges that future researches should be concentrated on the integration of different stages of the supply chain with circular economy models and tools in order to create a closed-loop agri-food system.

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Jose ◽  
PrasannaVenkatesan Shanmugam

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significant supply chain issues in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) food industry. The objectives are to identify the major themes and the dynamic evolution of SME food supply chain (FSC) issues, the current research trends, the different modelling approaches used in SME FSC, and the most addressed SME food sector. Design/methodology/approach In all, 3,733 published articles from 2002 to 2018 in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database were collected, from which 1,091 articles were shortlisted for the review. The authors used bibliographic coupling combined with co-word analysis to identify the historical relations of the research themes that emerged during the periods 2002–2014 and 2002–2018. Findings This research identified five major research themes such as production and distribution in alternative food networks, relationship, safety and standards in the FSC, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impact of the farm food system, traceability and product quality in FSC and asymmetric price transmission in the FSC. Among the identified themes, GHG emission impact of the farm food system and traceability and product quality in the FSC have received increasing attention in recent years. The dairy sector is the most addressed sector (36 per cent), followed by fruits and vegetables (27 per cent), meat and poultry (18 per cent), seafood (10 per cent) and grains and oilseed (8 per cent). It is also identified that the dairy sector has received significant attention in the “GHG Emission impact of farm food system” theme. Similarly, meat and poultry sectors have received much attention in the “Traceability and product quality in the food supply chain” theme. Also, the authors identified that the empirical modelling approaches are the most commonly used solution methodology, followed by the conceptual/qualitative methods in the SME FSC. Originality/value This study maps and summarizes the existing knowledge base of supply chain issues in the SME food sector. The results of this review provide the major research areas, most commonly used approaches and food sectors addressed. This study also highlights the research gaps and potential future research direction.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Despoudi

Circular economy (CE) refers to the industrial economy that aims to achieve enriched sustainability through restorative objects and supply chain design. Many governments have put in place different initiatives in line with the CE. On the other hand, the term Lean operations refers to the reduction of the non-value adding activities and waste in a supply chain. The food sector has been criticized for its sustainability and circularity due to the high levels of food and packaging waste and at the same time the increasing costs. Although food supply chain entities have started to implement circular economy and lean practices, the current efforts do not seem to be sufficient to achieve a circular and lean food system. The aim of this chapter is to explore the possibility of a circular and at the same lean food supply chain.


2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahbaz Khan ◽  
Mohd Imran Khan ◽  
Abid Haleem ◽  
Abdur Rahman Jami

Purpose Risk in the Halal food supply chain is considered as the failure to deliver the product which complies with Halal standards. The purpose of this paper is to identify the risk elements associated with Halal food supply chains and prioritise them appropriately towards better management. Design/methodology/approach This research used a systematic literature review to identify various risk elements in the Halal food supply chain and consolidate them with the expertise of professionals and academicians. Further, the fuzzy analytic hierarchical process (fuzzy AHP) is applied to prioritise the identified risk elements. Findings The findings of the research suggest that “supply-related risks” are the most prominent risk. Raw material integrity issue is a vital element in the Halal food supply chain. The failure of the supplier to deliver material that complies with Halal standards reduces the industrial economic advantage. This study recommends that the integration of internal processes and outsourcing elements can mitigate the risk of the Halal food supply chain by having a holistic view of the processing and delivery of Halal foods. Research limitations/implications Systematic literature review and experts’ opinion are used to identify and consolidate risks. For the literature review, only the SCOPUS database is used; thus, there is a chance to overlook some risk elements. Additionally, the fuzzy AHP analysis depends on relative preference weight. Therefore, care should be taken while constructing a pairwise comparison matrix for risk elements. Practical implications The findings of the study can help the managers who have a holistic view on risk mitigation of the Halal food supply chain. This study may assist managers to share information about the processing of Halal food from top to bottom to manage risk. Originality/value This study may act as a baseline for undertaking future research in the area of risk management of the Halal food supply chain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9294
Author(s):  
Giulia Chiaraluce ◽  
Deborah Bentivoglio ◽  
Adele Finco

The current agri-food supply chain is affected by different problems such as food loss and waste generation along the supply chain, and the circular economy offers a possibility to enhance and optimize the production and consumption to seek to a sustainable paradigm. The circular economy can be a winning approach to intervene and moderate the impacts generated in the agri-food sector, proposing actions and solutions to readmit wastes and by-products in the productive chain. The aim of this work was to perform a literature review coupled with a bibliometric analysis, using VOSviewer software, on the circular economy model in the agri-food sector, with particular relevance to the reuse and valorisation of wastes and by-products. Results showed that the topic is of particular relevance in the scientific community, and the concept is continuously evolving. Europe plays a leading role in the research, thanks to the involvement of the Member States, policy makers and stakeholders. Nevertheless, some aspects such as the development of a new economic circular model and some limitations of the current policies deserve further investigation.


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