Big Data and its Role in Mitigating Food Spoilage and Quality Deterioration along the Supply Chain

Abstract

Food spoilage results from the progressive and cumulative deterioration that a product undergoes from harvest to consumption. Data sources and collection technologies geared to report on the state of a food product abound throughout the supply chain, from temperature data loggers to GPS trackers to sensing devices. These tools allow monitoring signals of deterioration and factors that may accelerate food’s deteriorative process while also providing time stamps and geolocation data along the supply chain. It is important to understand the differences and capabilities of the different devices, technologies, and management systems that survey and convey data along the food supply chain. Hence, the role of indicators, sensors, and digital stakeholder interactions as relevant sources of big data in food spoilage will be discussed herein. Appropriate use of this extensive and increasing collection of food data at each stage of the supply chain can enhance the access of producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, and other key stakeholders, to real-time information on a product’s quality. This can aid in optimizing activities and logistics along the supply chain (e.g., pricing, distribution), informing decisions, and, subsequently, curtailing food spoilage and waste.