Transforming U.S. Food Supply Chains through Internet of Things Technologies: Advancing Food Safety, Quality, and Traceability

Abstract

The increased complexity of the food supply chain in the United States has increased the need to have advanced technologies that can ensure food safety, quality assurance, traceability and also the operational efficiency. The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a revolutionary online technology, which can be deployed to track, collect information and make informed decisions in real-time throughout the food supply chain ecosystem. The review is a critical analysis of the way IoT and other smart technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), blockchain, cloud computing, and intelligent packaging systems, could enhance the quality and safety management of food. Based on the recent academic literature, the research will discuss IoT applications in main supply chain processes, such as agricultural production, food processing, cold-chain logistics, retail processes, and consumer engagement. The results show that the systems based on the IoT can enhance traceability, environmental monitoring, predictive maintenance, contamination prevention, inventory control and regulatory compliance considerably. In addition, AI and ML in combination can enhance predictive analytics, which will enable forecasting the risk of food safety problems and operational inefficiency. Despite these benefits, the issues that hinder the wide acceptance are interoperability, cybersecurity, data privacy, cost of implementation, and absence of standardized frameworks. The review outlines new opportunities in combining blockchain-enabling traceability, edge computing, and smart automation to enhance supply chain resilience and transparency. The research has come to the conclusion that the digital transformation that is facilitated by IoT can substantially increase the effectiveness of food safety, decrease food waste, increase consumer confidence, and help to develop sustainable food systems in the United States.  Research in the field should be worked out in the future on creating interoperable architectures, effective cybersecurity schemes, and policy-making schemes that will enable scalable and secure deployment of smart food supply chain technologies.