Author(s)

A. Payaro & S. Busetto

Abstract

Product tracking and traceability are two key elements in supply chain management. In the sector of fruit and vegetables destined for fresh consumption, the management of product and information flows is particularly complex due to the high perishability of the product. Through a qualitative empirical analysis, this study evaluates the recourse to information and communication technology in the implementation of traceability, and highlights three main issues: product, organization and technology. Keywords: traceability, information and communication technology, agri-supply chain. 1 Fruit and vegetable supply chains In recent years, logistics has taken on a new dimension, no longer concentrated within companies, but rather extended to all the relationships between members of a supply chain. In particular, there is a growing awareness that the strategic goal of all chain members is joint value creation [7] and thus every stakeholder has to contribute to optimising value of the product or the service [9]. It is in this context that the concept of Supply Chain Management (SCM) developed. This concept takes into consideration all the members of the chain, from the supplier of raw materials to the end consumer and all the flows which cross it: product flow, information flow and finances flow [2]. Optimal supply chain management is a strategy which can guarantee a competitive advantage in the modern economy [3]. Furthermore, supply chain management is not only applicable to industrial contexts, but also to the agro-food sector. In the literature, the \“agri-supply chain” is defined as the economic system which, in

Keywords

traceability, information and communication technology, agri-supply chain.