Food System Digitalization as a Means to Promote Food and Nutrition Security in the Barents Region

Abstract

The consumption of food and its safety are important for human security. In this paper, we reviewed the literature on future possibilities for transforming the food system through digital solutions in the Barents region. Such digital solutions will make food business operators more efficient, sustainable, and transparent. Developing cross-border infrastructures for digitalization in the region will break the isolation of the local food system, thus simplifying the availability of processed, novel and safe traditional food products. It is necessary for food growers and processors to respond to the trends driven by consumers’ demand while ensuring their safety. Our review highlights the opportunities provided by digital technology to ensure safety and help food business operators predict consumer trends in the future. In addition, digitalization can create conditions that are necessary for the diversification of organizational schemes and the effective monitoring of food processing operations that will help to promote food and nutrition security in the Barents region.

Blockchain Technology for Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Literature Review and a Classification Framework

“…Food falsification results in both economic losses and low consumer confidence [30]. Traceability is applicable in food items, also enabling us to track food from farms to shelves through blockchain technology [25,28]. Consumer preferences differ with regards to three technological systems supporting traceability, namely Near Field Communication (NFC) [32], Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Quick Response (QR) code particularly due to the cost impact associated with the adoption of these complementary technologies [26].…”

Latest Advances in Sensor Applications in Agriculture

“…Food security is a key factor to develop overall human well-being and human security [25]. The review article by Raheem et al [26] is titled "Food System Digitalization as a Means to Promote Food and Nutrition Security in the Barents Region". In the Barents region, traditional food includes potatoes, meat, fish, berries and a wide range of dairy products where mostly the processing of these foods is undertaken by small and medium enterprises for better preservation and distribution.…”

Digitalisation in a local food system: Emphasis on Finnish Lapland

“…As the region is expected to continue to attract tourists, there will be a growing demand for the local delicacies for consumption and as gift items. The use of digital solutions, such as business to business, emarketing, etc., throughout the supply chain will be useful (Raheem et al 2019).…”

“…In another development, the use of peer-to-peer network that is currently applied in Lapland is the REKO system; it employs a new model of a sustainable marketing channel based on social networking services interactions (Szymoniuk and Valtari 2018). The system unites small food producers and consumers with digital modern information and communications technology (ICT) in the creation of sustainable distributed food systems, as it offers consumers a way of ordering products directly from the producer, without the need for intermediaries (Szymoniuk and Valtari 2018;Raheem et al 2019).…”

“…Food system digitalisation refers to the application of innovative technology to enhance harvesting, processing, distribution and storage operations along the agrifood value chain (Raheem et al 2019). As the European Arctic is particularly vulnerable to climate change, there is a need to promote business innovation that will  respond to climate change and associated weather risks that build resilience to them.…”