Challenges and opportunities of supply chain traceability: insights from emergent agri-food sector

Abstract

Purpose

Traceability systems (TS) have enabled significant improvements in supply chain management. Despite these advancements, there is room for further enhancement in the acceptance and diffusion of TS among stakeholders in emergent agri-food supply chains. Conducting a strategic analysis of TS is crucial to reveal the associated challenges, opportunities, pros and cons. Doing so will foster the development of emergent agri-food supply chains and unlock their potential.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a modified quantitative four-round Delphi methodology among experts, selected according to the quadruple helix model, covering end-to-end the supply chain. The research was carried out in Greece, as its agri-food sector epitomizes the type of emergent supply chain under investigation.

Findings

This study reveals the impact of TS in emergent agri-food industries, emphasizing the firm-focused positive effects like improving their supply chain performance. The research also highlights the benefits of TS adoption, suggesting that they outweigh any drawbacks based on the TS internal-external environment analysis. The multi-stakeholder participatory approach resulted in a blend of well-informed policy-making recommendations and managerial insights, paving the way for a broader and more efficient TS adoption in emergent agri-food supply chains.

Research limitations/implications

Impediments on sampling require caution when extending these findings to other contexts. Yet, it is crucial to conduct further research using a similar approach in a broader area, not just limited to Greece but also in other economies with similar conditions characterized by nascent supply chains.

Originality/value

The comprehensive and holistic approach used in this study, examining the extended supply chain context instead of just dyads, offers valuable insights that contribute to theory development in supply chain management. Such an output is momentous when researching emergent supply chains and complex issues like traceability, which require information sharing and involve interdependencies and hidden dynamics among stakeholders that are impossible to explore otherwise.