PurposeAs members of the food supply chain, food manufacturers acquire power and hold responsibility for the sustainable transformation of our food systems. Sustainability assessment and reporting frameworks function as instruments to shape sustainable transformation processes. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the suitability for food manufacturing companies and their connectivity with the up- and downstream food supply chain.Design/methodology/approachThe first section of the study explores the need for holistic, company-based sustainability frameworks in the food manufacturing sector from the literature. The second part compares seven frameworks, in terms of content and supply chain connectivity.FindingsFood sector specificity demands the inclusion of topics specific to food systems. Furthermore, none of the investigated frameworks fulfil both food sector specificity and full connectivity with the up- and downstream supply chain.Research limitations/implicationsAs a limitation to this work, comparison of the frameworks at topic level instead of indicator level is considered. The findings call for more harmonised and integrated sustainability assessment throughout the food supply chain.Practical implicationsThe framework a food manufacturer should apply depends on their motivation behind conducting the sustainability assessment and reporting. Evidence is provided from various perspectives and with regard to key issues such as content, certification and communication.Originality/valueNo comparison between sustainability frameworks has been made yet from the supply chain perspective of food manufacturers.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for a sustainable development of the food sector. Common tools to manage and improve business sustainability are not applied widely amongst food manufacturing SMEs yet. Therefore, this paper derives important aspects to consider for an SME-suitable tool, based on an extract from a Del-
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.