Would You Care for a Warm Steak? - An evaluation of time-temperature indicators to ensure quality and enhance sustainability in Swedish meat supply chains

Abstract

In recent years, scandals and disruptions in food supply chains have generated an increased pressure on actors to ensure quality and traceability, as well as to improve sustainability. The absence of constant temperature control in the supply chain endangers consumer safety and contributes to the sustainability issue of food wastage. For grocery retailers, it is essential to guarantee food quality from farm to fork, especially for highly sensitive products; however, this cannot be fully achieved today. A time-temperature indicator (TTI) is a traceability solution that can be utilised by supply chain actors to track temperature along the chain; thus, can facilitate improved control and ensure food quality. It is evident that theory lacks extensive knowledge regarding the expected benefits and risks associated with an application of TTIs, as well as how to efficiently implement the technology. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to provide an assessment that can serve as a guide for a future potential implementation of TTIs in a Swedish meat supply chain to enhance traceability and improve sustainability. To fulfil the purpose, a single case study was conducted at Coop in Solna where 15 interviews were held with actors representing their entire supply chain. In addition, a focus group interview was performed to gather the views and opinions of consumers. The result of the study indicates that there are various benefits and risk associated with a potential implementation. Additionally, these are highly dependent on the aim of the implementation. Furthermore, depending on the objective of the initiative, various benefits and risks needs to be taken in consideration for an efficient implementation. The findings have contributed to broaden the existing knowledge of how traceability systems such as TTIs can be used to improve quality and sustainability performance.