Purpose

Amidst compounding crises and increasing global population’s nutritional needs, food supply chains are called to address the “diet–environment–health” trilemma in a sustainable and resilient manner. However, food system stakeholders are reluctant to act upon established protein sources such as meat to avoid potential public and industry-driven repercussions. To this effect, this study aims to understand the meat supply chain (SC) through systems thinking and propose innovative interventions to break this “cycle of inertia”.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the meat supply network system. Data was gathered through a critical literature synthesis, domain-expert interviews and a focus group engagement to understand the system’s underlying structure and inspire innovative interventions for sustainability.

Findings

The analysis revealed that six main sub-systems dictate the “cycle of inertia” in the meat food SC system, namely: (i) cultural, (ii) social, (iii) institutional, (iv) economic, (v) value chain and (vi) environmental. The Internet of Things and innovative strategies help promote sustainability and resilience across all the sub-systems.

Research limitations/implications

The study findings demystify the structure of the meat food SC system and unveil the root causes of the “cycle of inertia” to suggest pertinent, innovative intervention strategies.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the SC management field by capitalising on interdisciplinary scientific evidence to address a food system challenge with significant socioeconomic and environmental implications.

中文翻译：

---

打破食品供应链的惯性循环：创新和可持续发展的系统思维方法

目的

在危机日益复杂和全球人口营养需求不断增加的情况下，食品供应链需要以可持续和有弹性的方式解决“饮食-环境-健康”的三难困境。然而，食品系统利益相关者不愿意对肉类等现有蛋白质来源采取行动，以避免潜在的公众和行业影响。为此，本研究旨在通过系统思维来了解肉类供应链（SC），并提出创新干预措施来打破这种“惯性循环”。

设计/方法论/途径

本研究采用跨学科方法来调查肉类供应网络系统。通过关键文献综合、领域专家访谈和焦点小组参与收集数据，以了解系统的底层结构并激发可持续发展的创新干预措施。

发现

分析显示，六个主要子系统决定了肉类食品供应链系统的“惯性循环”，即：（i）文化，（ii）社会，（iii）制度，（iv）经济，（v）价值链(vi) 环境。物联网和创新战略有助于促进所有子系统的可持续性和弹性。

研究局限性/影响

研究结果揭开了肉类食品SC系统结构的神秘面纱，揭示了“惯性循环”的根本原因，从而提出了相关的、创新的干预策略。

原创性/价值

这项研究通过利用跨学科的科学证据来应对具有重大社会经济和环境影响的粮食系统挑战，为 SC 管理领域做出贡献。