Towards a Sustainable Food Supply Chain: Digital Transformation via Blockchain, IoT and AI

Supply chain management (SCM) plays a pivotal role in achieving competitive advantage, enhancing customer value, and ensuring efficient transformation of raw materials into finished food products. However, the increasing complexity and globalization of agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) have intensified challenges related to food safety, waste management, traceability, and sustainability. In response, digital transformation driven by Industry 4.0 technologies, particularly Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), has emerged as a critical enabler of sustainable food systems. This review critically examines the role of these technologies in enhancing transparency, efficiency, and resilience across food supply chains. Blockchain ensures secure, immutable, and transparent data sharing, thereby improving traceability and trust among stakeholders. IoT facilitates real-time monitoring of environmental and logistical parameters, reducing post-harvest losses and ensuring product quality. AI-driven analytics enable predictive decision-making, demand forecasting, and resource optimization, contributing to reduced food waste and improved operational performance. Collectively, these technologies support precision agriculture, smart logistics, and data-driven supply chain integration, thereby advancing sustainability goals. Despite these benefits, the adoption of digital technologies faces significant barriers, including high implementation costs, interoperability challenges, data privacy concerns, and limited technological infrastructure. This study highlights current advancements, identifies research gaps, and proposes future directions for scalable and secure digital integration to achieve sustainable and resilient food supply chains.