Digital technologies for sustainable food supply chains: a scoping review of impacts on food safety, loss reduction, and implications for nutritional security

Digital technologies such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly applied in food supply chains (FSCs) to enhance traceability, monitoring, and quality detection. However, whether these technological advancements ultimately contribute to improved nutritional security remains unclear. This scoping review systematically examined the application of digital technologies across food supply chains and assessed their impacts on food safety, food loss reduction, and nutritional outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed for empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025, with supplementary searches conducted in the Cochrane Library and Global Health databases to ensure comprehensive coverage of nutrition-related evidence. Ultimately, 46 studies were included for analysis. Results revealed that blockchain (41.3%), IoT (26.1%), and AI/machine learning (19.6%) constitute the primary technological approaches, with storage and transportation being the most concentrated application areas (41.3%). Evidence for positive impacts on food safety and loss reduction is substantial, with 89% and 83% of relevant studies reporting favorable outcomes, respectively. However, only 6.5% of included studies directly measured nutrition-related outcomes, representing a critical evidence gap. This asymmetric evidence distribution suggests that while digital technologies demonstrate clear value in improving supply chain efficiency and food safety, the pathway from technological performance to nutritional improvement remains largely unverified. Future research should incorporate nutrition indicators into evaluation frameworks and prioritize studies in low-income countries where food loss and nutritional insecurity are most severe.