The increasing demand for a sustainable, reliable and secure supply chain for food products
has led to the application of digital technologies such as blockchain to improve operational
effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the integration barriers of Blockchain
Technology (BCT) within Circular Food Supply Chains ...
The increasing demand for a sustainable, reliable and secure supply chain for food products
has led to the application of digital technologies such as blockchain to improve operational
effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the integration barriers of Blockchain
Technology (BCT) within Circular Food Supply Chains (CFSCs) towards firm’s operational
effectiveness through a multi-methodological process. Initially the integration barriers are
identified through a review of literature and these risks are categorised, using evidence
obtained by survey questionnaire completed by experts in the integrated research arena. A
further quantified prioritisation of these barriers is made by utilizing a Fuzzy Delphi approach,
validated by expert practitioners drawn from the food production and supply organizations.
Finally, through semi-structured interviews with Blockchain and FSC experts, an examination
of how the integration barriers affect operational effectiveness may be mitigated is provided.
This paper concludes that the identified barriers to blockchain integration have real impact on
the operational effectiveness of the firm that can only be clarified through industry wide
standardised processes.
