2022/11/16 by Marije Renkema, Marije Renkema‐Singh, Per Hilletofth · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Business, Management and Accounting · #Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability #Innovation and Socioeconomic Development #Organic Food and Agriculture
paper · pdf · doi:10.1108/bfj-06-2022-0463
crossref issued 2022/11/16 · crossref published 2022/11/16 · crossref published-online 2022/11/16 · openalex publication_date 2022/11/16 · crossref created 2022/11/17 · crossref published-print 2022/12/19 · crossref deposited 2025/07/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03
Purpose Intermediate short food supply chains (SFSC) have been presented as a possible solution to unsustainable global food supply chains. There is currently a knowledge gap about intermediate SFSC. Thus, this review synthesizes the available literature to identify prominent themes and their main considerations. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a systematic literature review including peer-reviewed journal articles until December 2021. Inductive data coding resulted in the identification of four themes related to intermediate SFSC. Findings The identified themes illustrate the complex landscape intermediate SFSCs operate in and focus on the key relationships within these supply chains. The established relationships have implications for the governance of intermediate SFSCs. The organization of intermediate SFSCs affects numerous sustainability indicators. Research limitations/implications Future research should focus on the position intermediate SFSCs have in food systems and the roles intermediaries have in intermediate SFSCs. There is furthermore an opportunity for researchers to investigate different types of intermediaries and explore the factors influencing them. Originality/value Creating sustainable food supply chains is one of the major societal challenges of today. The current state of the art suggests that intermediate SFSCs could play an important role in achieving this. So far, this area is underdeveloped and this review highlights knowledge gaps in the literature and suggestions for a future research agenda are proposed.