Modelling supply chain sustainability challenges in the food processing sector amid the COVID-19 outbreak

Ananna Paul; Nagesh Shukla; Andrea Trianni

doi:10.1016/j.seps.2023.101535

Modelling supply chain sustainability challenges in the food processing sector amid the COVID-19 outbreak

Socioecon Plann Sci. 2023 Jun:87:101535. doi: 10.1016/j.seps.2023.101535. Epub 2023 Feb 6.

Authors

Ananna Paul¹, Nagesh Shukla², Andrea Trianni³

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
² Department of Business Strategy and Innovation, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, QLD 4111, Australia.
³ School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted most businesses and their supply chains. Due to the negative impacts of COVID-19, businesses have been facing numerous challenges. Among them, sustainability challenges are critical for any supply chain. In the literature, several studies have discussed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains; however, there is a significant research gap in analysing supply chain sustainability challenges amid the COVID-19 outbreak in a particular context. To fill this research gap, this study aims to develop a systematic approach to identifying and analysing COVID-19 outbreak-related supply chain sustainability challenges in the context of the Australian food processing sector. To achieve the aims, this paper develops a mixed-method approach consisting of both qualitative and quantitative techniques, namely online survey and the Best-Worst method. From the online survey among experts from the Australian food processing sector, 22 sustainability challenges were finalised and categorised into four categories, namely, economic, environmental, social and ethical, and operational challenges. The empirical findings from the exploratory investigation reveal that increased food processing cost, lack of transparency and traceability, increase in price of raw materials, lack of capital and physical resources, and spread of fake information are the top five sustainability challenges to the Australian food processing sector due to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of this study will help decision-makers, practitioners, and policymakers by developing the policies, guidelines, and strategies to overcome the most impactful sustainability challenges to ensure sustainable recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Keywords: Best-worst method; COVID-19 outbreak; Food processing sector; Supply chain; Sustainability challenges.