Digital Transformation and Food Supply Chain Stability: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms and Governance

Abstract

Food supply chains are increasingly exposed to disruptions arising from climate variability, market volatility, and structural fragmentation, prompting growing interest in the role of digital technologies in enhancing system stability. This study aims to synthesize existing academic knowledge on how digital technologies contribute to food supply chain stability through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Following PRISMA guidelines, a structured search was conducted in the Scopus database covering peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2016 and 2026. A total of 261 articles were selected through a multi-stage screening and eligibility process and analyzed using thematic synthesis. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity in how food supply chain stability is conceptualized, often overlapping with resilience and food security constructs. Digital technologies are positioned variably as technical enablers, organizational capabilities, and systemic infrastructures. Their influence on stability is not direct but mediated through mechanisms such as integration, transparency, traceability, and coordination. The effectiveness of these mechanisms is shaped by contextual conditions, including organizational capacity, infrastructure readiness, regulatory environments, and governance structures. The review also identifies key gaps, including conceptual ambiguity, methodological limitations, and insufficient integration of governance perspectives. Overall, the study concludes that digital technologies alone do not guarantee stability; rather, their impact depends on their interaction with socio-technical and institutional factors. These findings contribute to a more integrated understanding of digitalization and food supply chain stability and highlight directions for future research.