Agri-fresh food supply chain quality (AFSCQ): a literature review

Published date16 October 2017
Pages2015-2044
Date16 October 2017
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2016-0427
AuthorMan Mohan Siddh,Gunjan Soni,Rakesh Jain,Milind Kumar Sharma,Vinod Yadav
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management,Information systems,Data management systems,Knowledge management,Knowledge sharing,Management science & operations,Supply chain management,Supply chain information systems,Logistics,Quality management/systems
Agri-fresh food supply
chain quality (AFSCQ):
a literature review
Man Mohan Siddh, Gunjan Soni and Rakesh Jain
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India
Milind Kumar Sharma
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Mugneeram Bangur Memorial Engineering College,
Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, India, and
Vinod Yadav
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Malviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deliver a structured literature review of existing literature on agri-fresh
food supply chain quality (AFSCQ) over a period of 23 years (1994 to mid-2016) and provide a platform
for practitioners and researchers trying to identify the existing state of work, gaps in current research, and future
directions in the field of AFSCQ.
Design/methodology/approach The existing literature i s classified on the basis of several
classes like number of publi cations per year, journal -wise publications, stu dies across various countr ies,
growth of empirical rese arch, data analysis meth ods or tool used, issues re lated to supply chain qual ity
as well as performance me asurement (with respec t to entity of analysis, le vel of analysis and elemen t
of exchange).
Findings Most of the research publ ications discuss issue s in developed countries , while relatively
lesser publications a re available on issues i n developing countrie s. Hence, larger opport unities in the
field of AFSCQ are availab le in developing countries . Empirical research is al so growing in the field of
AFSCQ. Largely resear ch publications make use of case studyresearch approach and statistical
analysisas a quantitative tool of research. The literature is also categorized under the various issues of
supply chain quality suc h as sustainability management, infor mation management, logistic manageme nt,
collaboration and coord ination management , strategic management, de mand management, inve ntory
management, food safe ty, performance managem ent, supply chain inte gration, supplier mana gement,
quality management, e tc. It was found that in t he majority of article s, information manage ment,
sustainability manag ement, and logistics man agement are very critical i ssues as far as AFSCQ is
concerned. Performa nce measurement of agri-fresh food supp ly chain is also on a growing stage. It is also
an integral part of AFSC Q.
Originality/value Most of the prior reviews are concentrated on a particular issue as production and
distribution planning for agri-foods, temperature monitoring, corporate and consumer social responsibility,
traceability system and ignore the wider perception. There exists a necessity of having a detailed review to
cover up all the issues in AFSCQ. This review fills this gap in the extant AFSCQ literature.
Keywords Literature review, Supply chain quality, Agri-fresh food, Agri-fresh food supply chain quality
Paper type Literature review
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 117 No. 9, 2017
pp. 2015-2044
Emerald Publishing Limited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/IMDS-10-2016-0427
Received 10 October 2016
Revised 2 December 2016
11 January 2017
Accepted 19 January 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
© Man Mohan Siddh, Gunjan Soni, Rakesh Jain, Milind Kumar Sharma and Vinod Yadav. Published
by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this
article (for both commercial & non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original
publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/
licences/by/4.0/legalcode
2015
Agri-fresh food
supply chain
quality
1. Introduction
The agri-fresh food segment is perhaps a profitable venture of all farming activities as it
provides ample employment opportunities and scopes to raise the income of the agricultural
community. In the last decade, there are dramatic changes in the supply chain of agri-fresh
products. Agri-fresh food products compose a significant position of the world economy as
well as they are the supplies for various food processing industries. Inside agri-fresh food
supply chains, raw food stuffs are transformed through packaging, distribution and related
services. In this process, it is very important that not only the product quality is ensured but
the supply chain quality should be maintained as well. The supply chain quality is defined
as a set of practices that emphasize on continuous process improvement among partners
( firms) in the supply chain in order to enhance performance and achieve customer
satisfaction through prominence in learning (Mellat-Parast, 2013). The agri-fresh supply
chain quality (AFSCQ) is distinct and peculiar in some aspects which makes the
management of such supply chain typical and difficult. In order to review these
characteristics of the AFSCQ, a review is carried out in this paper. AFSCQ indicates a group
of organized practices or exercises that stress upon advancement of continuous process
improvement among supply chain stakeholders in order to enhance sustainable
performance and protect shelf-life of a product.
The AFSCQ is morecomplex as compared with the supplychain quality of non-perishable
products dueto short shelf-life of the product,food product safety and qualitystandards to be
followed (Van der Vorst and Beulens, 2002), high uncertainty in demand and cost and
dependency on climatic conditions (Salin, 1998). Cheng et al. (2014)discussed the effectiveness
of supply and demand information visibility of perishable food supply chain trading.
Zhong et al. (2013) proposed an RFID-enabled real-time advanced production planning and
scheduling shell to coordinate different decision makers across production processes.
Tanik (2010) emphasized on the advantages of using systematic qualityenhancement tools in
each element of the supply chain in food production. Aramyan et al. (2013) analyzed the
adoption of an animal welfare valuation system in European agri-food supply chains for
enhancementof supply chain quality. In recent years,supply chain quality practices and their
significance to management practices have received more attention (Mellat-Parast, 2013).
A review concisely illustrates the literature. Soni and Kodali (2011) and Rowley and Slack
(2004) explained that the literature review is significant to:
identify the research area(s) and research questions;
find the literature to which the research work will mark an influence;
understand and in building of theoretical concepts and terminology;
make possible listing of the resources that have been referred; and
highlight research approaches that might be beneficial.
This review builds upon articles focused on issues of AFSCQ to offer recommendations for
further studies. Some of the prominent studies in AFSCQ, for example, by Perez et al. (2009)
highlighted the complexity involved in the pork supply chain to obtain the quality of pork
products. Ahumada and Villalobos (2009) focused on the application of planning models in
the agri-food supply chain. The main contributions of this review were in the eld of
production, distribution, and planning for agri-food. Raab et al. (2011) highlighted
the literature review and novel temperature monitoring systems and its challenges, and the
professional experience was applied to system designers of temperature monitoring in the
meat supply chain. The role of the supplier is crucial in the supply chain (Yadav and
Sharma, 2015a) and it becomes more crucial in case of the food supply chain. Therefore,
an appropriate supplier selection process is a necessity (Yadav and Sharma, 2015b).
2016
IMDS
117,9

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