Enhancing Resilience in the Fresh Food Supply Chain: A Managerial Perspective Through Interpretive Analysis

Sharma, I, Belal, HM ORCID: 0000-0001-6737-1445, Sonar, H and Ghag, N (2025) Enhancing Resilience in the Fresh Food Supply Chain: A Managerial Perspective Through Interpretive Analysis. British Food Journal. pp. 1-27. ISSN 0007-070X

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Abstract

Purpose: A sustainable strategy for fresh food supply chains is crucial in cultivating a resilient and accountable food system that intrinsically links economic, social, and environmental objectives. Sustainability-oriented strategies are required to address threats in the form of resource scarcity, climate change, and ecological degradation. Despite growing attention to these issues, the integration of sustainability strategies with supply chain resilience remains underexplored. This research attempts to fill this gap by considering new strategies and policies that embed sustainability principles and thus increase resilience in nascent fresh food supply chains.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The current research seeks to identify and evaluate critical sustainability initiatives that foster resilience within the Indian fresh food supply chain context. Drawing on the Resource Based View (RBV), these initiatives are refined using the fuzzy-Delphi method and validated through the best-worst method. Information from fifteen industry specialists yields crucial insights into sustainability practices that ensure food availability while promoting environmental concerns, socio-economic equity, and technological adaptability.

Findings: This study advances the field by identifying critical sustainability measures and proposing integrated solutions that strengthen fresh food supply chain resilience. Crucially, by advocating for a balanced consideration of environmental, economic, and social dimensions, it presents a strategic framework which is instrumental in guiding efforts to mitigate critical challenges and optimize resource deployment, ultimately leading to the implementation of highly effective and impactful interventions.

Practical Implications: The findings of this study will assist practitioners and stakeholders in strengthening collaborative supply chain relationships by promoting enhanced communication, resource sharing, and coordinated responses to disruptions, ultimately fostering greater resilience in fresh food supply chains.

Originality: This research offers a novel contribution by uniquely identifying sustainability-driven measures for fresh food supply chain resilience. It systematically integrates socio-economic, environmental, and technological sustainability practices within a resource-based view (RBV) framework, demonstrating how these practices act as firm-specific capabilities to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to disruptions in fresh food supply chains.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact permissions@emerald.com
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Food Science
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business
Divisions:	Liverpool Business School
Publisher:	Emerald
Date of acceptance:	13 August 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	13 October 2025
Date Deposited:	29 Sep 2025 10:19
Last Modified:	13 Oct 2025 13:00
DOI or ID number:	10.1108/BFJ-03-2025-0319
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27211

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