Transparency in the Food Supply Chain: Conceptual Clarification and Identification of Key Dimensions Based on a Systematic Review

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Industrial Management, Farabi College, University of Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Prof., Department of Industrial Management, Farabi College, University of Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/imj.2026.412198.1008299

Abstract

Objective: The increasing complexity and globalization of food supply chains, along with challenges such as food safety incidents, price volatility, difficulties in tracing product origins, and widespread food loss and waste, have further highlighted the necessity of enhancing transparency.
Methodology: This study aims to clarify the concept of transparency in this domain and to identify its key dimensions through a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, and after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 164 articles were selected for final analysis.
Results: In the first step, by analyzing the definitions and approaches presented in the supply chain management literature, the concept of transparency in food supply chains was coherently articulated, and a comprehensive definition was proposed. In the second step, related and overlapping concepts were identified, and their conceptual distinctions were examined. Finally, in the third step, using inductive qualitative content analysis, the components and dimensions discussed in the literature were extracted and coded. Through open coding and iterative back-and-forth review between data and themes, 32 key transparency dimensions were ultimately identified.
Conclusion: Transparency in the food supply chain is not just an ethical or regulatory obligation, but a strategic process that balances stakeholder trust with commercial confidentiality. It involves carefully distinguishing between information that stakeholders have a right to know and proprietary data that should remain protected.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Industrial Management Journal
Volume 18, Issue 3
2026
Pages 1-41

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