Trends in global E-food supply chain and implications for transport: literature review and research directions

With food supply chains distributed across global markets connected via internet using e-business solutions, transporting food from farm to fork is a critical element of any such supply chains. The transport can fall anywhere in the spectrum from long distances between farmers in one country to processors or distributors in another country, to short distances from retailers to end consumers both on the same street. We identify the key characteristics of the food supply chain and review the literature. Furthermore, we discuss a few trends that will lead the future of food transport and list a number of relevant and challenging research areas. In general, food supply chains are impacted by (1) socio-economic trends, (2) digitalization and innovation, and (3) transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases. Such developments have significant implications for food transport. In order to feed the billions of people that will live in big cities across the world in the coming decades, the academic community needs to unite with practitioners to efficiently manage the global transportation of food using the traditional and new modes of transportation that will be all connected thanks to digitalization.