Two Decades of Advancements in Cold Supply Chain Logistics for Reducing Food Waste: A Review with Focus on the Meat Industry

Abstract

The current study focuses on the critical role of efficient cold supply chain logistics (CSCL) within the beef meat supply chain (SC), ensuring the timely delivery of premium products. Despite its significance, substantial food loss and waste (FLW) in CSCL pose multifaceted challenges across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. This comprehensive literature review aims to identify state-of-the-art CSCL for reducing food waste, key research themes, and their potential roles in red meat waste reduction, as well as identify future research directions. It explores four pivotal themes—management, sustainability, network design (ND), and new information technologies (IT)—each contributing uniquely to mitigating FLW. A review of papers published in the last two decades reveals management as the predominant theme, followed by sustainability, ND, and IT. The study underscores the interconnectedness of these themes and highlights gaps in current research, particularly the need for multi-objective optimisation models. These models should integrate uncertainties, sustainability dimensions, and technological advancements, while aligning strategic, tactical, and operational decisions to enhance CSCL sustainability and reduce FLW in the beef meat industry. This review informs stakeholders—researchers, policymakers, practitioners, the government, and the public—about emerging trends and opportunities in addressing food waste, thereby fostering more efficient and sustainable CSCL practices.