With the rise of globalization and technological competition, the food supply chain has grown more complex due to the multiple players and factors involved in the chain. Traditional systems fail to offer effective and reliable traceability solutions considering the increasing requirement for accountability and transparency in the food supply chain. Blockchain technology has been claimed to offer the food industry a transformative future. The inherent features of blockchain, including immutability and transparency, create a dependable and secure system for tracking food products across the whole supply chain, ensuring total control over their traceability from the origin to the final consumer. This research offers a comprehensive overview of multiple models to understand how the integration of blockchain and other digital technologies has transformed the food supply chain. This comprehensive systematic review of blockchain-based food-supply-chain frameworks aimed to uncover the capability of blockchain technology to revolutionize the industry and examined the current landscape of blockchain-based food traceability solutions to identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the research investigates recent advancements and investigates how blockchain aligns with other emerging technologies of Industry 4.0 and Web 3.0. Blockchain technology plays an important role in improving food traceability and supply-chain operations. Potential synergies between blockchain and other emerging technologies of Industry 4.0 and Web 3.0 are digitizing food supply chains, which results in better management, automation, efficiencies, sustainability, verifiability, auditability, accountability, traceability, transparency, tracking, monitoring, response times and provenance across food supply chains.

This systematic review critically examines the diverse applications of Blockchain technology in the food supply chain and identifies areas where its potential remains underutilized. By analysing 60 Blockchain-based frameworks, the study highlights the most frequently employed drivers such as transparency, traceability, and security within food supply chains. Additionally, underexplored applications such as food donation and redistribution, supply chain financing, animal welfare, food waste management, and data analysis are identified, revealing opportunities for further innovation. The research employed NVivo 14 to analyze the extent of Blockchain’s implementation in various food supply chain drivers, and the findings informed the development of a more diverse framework for Blockchain integration. Key insights demonstrate Blockchain’s transformative potential, particularly in enhancing data integrity, trust, and operational efficiency through its immutable ledger and smart contracts, which streamline transactions, cut administrative costs, and reduce fraud. In terms of sustainability and safety, Blockchain improves traceability, accelerates safety responses, promotes environmental sustainability by tracking resource usage, and enhances humanitarian efforts with transparent, efficient resource distribution. Additionally, Blockchain facilitates food waste reduction by optimizing inventory and distribution, while ensuring surplus food reaches those in need. The study concludes by offering a roadmap for future research, pointing toward untapped dimensions of Blockchain’s application in food traceability, sustainable supply chain management, and environmental & social impact. While the review provides a comprehensive understanding of Blockchain’s current usage in food supply chains, the scope is limited by the systematic review process and specific inclusion criteria. This study serves as a foundation for exploring Blockchain’s broader potential in shaping the future of food supply chains.

The application of Industry 4.0 technologies in the halal meat supply chain (HMSC) is an emerging but underexplored area. While technologies like 3D printing, AI, AR, metaverse, digital twins, robotics, and big data analytics are widely discussed in food production, their specific use in HMSC lacks comprehensive analysis. These technologies can address challenges such as cross-contamination, fraud, and traceability issues, but few studies have examined their practical implementation, highlighting the need for further empirical research. This review explores how Industry 4.0 technologies enhance efficiency, traceability, and transparency in HMSC and highlights the potential use of AR for real-time product verification, metaverse for virtual inspections, AI and robotics for improving efficiency, compliance, and hygiene, and digital twins for training and product quality monitoring. The review also identified research gaps, particularly the lack of focus on intelligent packaging, in vitro meat, and the 3D printing of halal meat products. The findings stress the need for greater exploration of these technologies in the HMSC, emphasizing their transformative potential in creating a transparent and efficient halal food system. Further research on emerging technologies like 3D printing and in vitro meat is essential, especially regarding their impact on halal standards and sustainability, ensuring future growth.

Amidst an increasingly volatile and competitive global landscape, compounded by political instability, supply chains are under growing pressure to effectively manage risks while advancing sustainable development goals. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is increasingly recognized as a pivotal force in enhancing supply chain resilience by mitigating risks and fostering sustainable performance. However, specific mechanisms through which I4.0 capabilities facilitate improvements in resilience and sustainability are not thoroughly examined. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, this study investigates the transformative impact of I4.0 capabilities on supply chain mapping, resilience, and sustainable performance. This study specifically examines how mapping and resilience sequentially mediate the relationship between I4.0 capabilities and sustainable supply chain performance. Data collected from Malaysian manufacturing firms through a comprehensive closed‐ended questionnaire is analyzed using PLS‐SEM. The findings highlight the direct and indirect roles of I4.0 in improving sustainable performance, providing insights for enhancing resilience and ensuring sustainable development.

The research meticulously explores the intricate dynamics of green talent management (GTM), social sustainability (SS), and the complex serial mediating roles of green competencies (GC) and employee engagement (EE). It also examines the moderation effects of a sustainable learning organization (SLO) and self-leadership (SL) within the context of the oil and gas industry in Pakistan, aiming to augment the conceptual and pragmatic comprehension of green talent management. Data were collected through time lagged and from multiple sources by HR professionals, environmental health and safety (EHS) managers, and directors or teams from HR departments and ESG departments in the oil and gas industry. Meanwhile, 314 participants completed the questionnaires. To validate the model suggesting the tested model has the relationship between green soft and hard talent management practices (GSHTM), green competencies (GC), and employee engagement, as well as the impact on social sustainability. Research evidence shows that green competencies make substantial contributions to the levels of engagement of the employees, which affects social sustainability. As has been asserted, sustainable learning organizations boost the linkage between green competencies and employee engagement, whereas self-leadership does not moderate. This research is the first empirical analysis that incorporates green competencies, EE, and social sustainability into the context of GTM practices in the oil and gas industry. Based on the social exchange theory, it provides a systematic investigation into the relationship between GTM and positive employee-related outcomes. Implementation issues as well as the theoretical, managerial, and policy implications of effective talent management for social sustainability in organizations are considered.