Smart food supply chain management: A bibliometric and systematic review

The food supply chain (FSC) faces increasing pressure due to rising global demand, inefficiencies, food safety concerns, and sustainability challenges. The Internet of Things (IoT) offers significant potential for transforming supply chain management across key stages, production, processing, distribution, and retail. By integrating IoT technologies in supply chains, organizations can enable real-time monitoring, automation, and predictive analytics through interconnected devices such as sensors, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, smart packaging, and automated systems. This study conducts a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of IoT-enabled FSCs, following PRISMA guidelines, to examine how IoT enhances food security, optimizes efficiency, and promotes sustainability while identifying key research trends, technological advancements, challenges, and opportunities. A search in scientific databases for the period 2018-2024 yielded 33 articles, which were analyzed to classify IoT applications, explore integration with blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), and assess benefits and barriers. Content analysis of the reviewed literature identified key thematic clusters. These include IoT integration in supply chain management, advanced technologies for efficiency, traceability and security, food quality and safety, logistics optimization, and the role of Industry 4.0 in smart farming. Findings reveal that IoT improves traceability, cold chain management, quality control, and predictive analytics. Within farm environments, precision agriculture employs IoT sensors to monitor soil, crop health, and weather conditions, optimizing resource allocation. In distribution, IoT-enabled packaging and cold chain systems ensure food freshness by tracking temperature and humidity. At the retail level, smart shelves with weight sensors and tracking technology automate restocking, while IoT refrigerators monitor temperature and expiration dates, reducing waste. Despite these benefits, high costs, data privacy concerns, and interoperability issues hinder adoption. The bibliometric analysis highlights a growing focus on IoT-blockchain integration and gaps in cost-effective, userfriendly solutions. Strategies include open-source platforms, standardization, and improved interfaces. This study offers insights into advancing IoT adoption in FSC management.