Defining Food Supply Chain Management — A Study Based on a Literature Survey

There is a need to understand food supply chain management (FSCM) with the help of a process-oriented comprehensive definition and consider complex tasks involved therein. The study identifies FSCM and supply chain management’s basic definitions and focuses on a systematic literature review. None of the identified previously proposed definitions of FSCM has comprehensively covered all the significant operational issues in FSCM. Thus, the study further undertook the mapping of identified definitions with six key focusses in FSCM identified through the literature survey. This study systematically proposes a comprehensive definition of FSCM. Findings suggested that “Quality management” includes safety and traceability of the food product and “Sustainable Management,” including proper waste management as the most critical focus in FSCM. This study proposes a comprehensive FSCM definition comprising key managerial that focuses on the food supply chain (FSC). The literature survey is done with 160 selected papers and has subjectivity in mapping and analysis. This definition seems essential for theory building, as none of the available definitions has included all the dominant characteristics of FSCM. A comprehensive definition of FSCM would act as a reference point for supply chain-based research on the food sector.