Catching Up With the Food Supply Cold Chain in the Post-Pandemic Context: A Literature Review

Unusual events like the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic made the global supply chain increasingly complex. Perishable products such as food, medicine, and vaccines require efficient transportation and storage to ensure consumers' access to high-quality goods, promoting safe consumption. This paper's systematic literature review aims to identify the primary challenges within the food cold chain addressed by scientific sources over the past 6 years. Applying the PRISMA methodology, the review began with an initial sample of 5007 publications obtained through searches in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The sample was subsequently filtered to include only studies published between 2019 and 2024, resulting in a final set of 296 publications. The primary concerns within the food cold chain were identified as quality assurance, sustainability, disease transmission, and food loss. Key methodologies identified include reviews, experimental studies, and mathematical models. The most prominent innovation observed was Logistics 4.0, encompassing the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain technology.