Breaking the cycle of inertia in food supply chains: a systems thinking approach for innovation and sustainability
Abstract
Purpose
Amidst compounding crises and increasing global population’s nutritional needs, food supply chains are called to address the “diet–environment–health” trilemma in a sustainable and resilient manner. However, food system stakeholders are reluctant to act upon established protein sources such as meat to avoid potential public and industry-driven repercussions. To this effect, this study aims to understand the meat supply chain (SC) through systems thinking and propose innovative interventions to break this “cycle of inertia”.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the meat supply network system. Data was gathered through a critical literature synthesis, domain-expert interviews and a focus group engagement to understand the system’s underlying structure and inspire innovative interventions for sustainability.
Findings
The analysis revealed that six main sub-systems dictate the “cycle of inertia” in the meat food SC system, namely: (i) cultural, (ii) social, (iii) institutional, (iv) economic, (v) value chain and (vi) environmental. The Internet of Things and innovative strategies help promote sustainability and resilience across all the sub-systems.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings demystify the structure of the meat food SC system and unveil the root causes of the “cycle of inertia” to suggest pertinent, innovative intervention strategies.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the SC management field by capitalising on interdisciplinary scientific evidence to address a food system challenge with significant socioeconomic and environmental implications.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research has been supported by the Costa Rican Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) and the Costa Rican National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICIT), National Scholarship No. FI-021B-18. This research has also received academic support from the Industrial Resilience Research Group at the Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and financial support from Cambridge International Trust and Newnham College, Scholarship No. 10659661. The authors also acknowledge Dr. David Morgan for his guidance and support on an earlier version of this work.
Citation
Alem Fonseca, M., Tsolakis, N. and Kittipanya-Ngam, P. (2024), "Breaking the cycle of inertia in food supply chains: a systems thinking approach for innovation and sustainability", Supply Chain Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-01-2023-0019
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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