Entrepreneurial opportunities in circular food systems: a ReSOLVE-based interdisciplinary and multi-level perspective

Purpose Food loss and waste (FLW) remain a critical threat to food security, economic efficiency and sustainability in developing economies. Weak institutional coordination, limited innovation capacity, and fragmented circular economy (CE) practices constrain progress. This study explores how CE principles and entrepreneurial opportunities (EOs), framed through the ReSOLVE model, can transform circular food systems' inefficiencies into regenerative and inclusive growth pathways. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a systematic and bibliometric review of 68 peer-reviewed articles (selected from 131 publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science between 2011 and 2025) and ten interviews with circular food entrepreneurs for enrichment. The ReSOLVE framework (Regenerate, Share, Optimize, Loop, Virtualize, Exchange) is applied to identify EOs and interdisciplinary linkages in circular food business. Findings Results reveal how these entrepreneurs explore EOs across six ReSOLVE mechanisms. Importantly, EOs emerge through interactions among micro-level entrepreneurial capabilities, meso-level value chain collaboration, and macro-level policy and institutional support, collectively accelerating CE transitions and strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems. Research limitations/implications Limited samples and citation coverage may constrain generalization. Future research should expand sectoral diversity and integrate computational text analysis for broader insights. Originality/value This study introduces a novel integration of ReSOLVE and EO theory, bridging sustainability, entrepreneurship, and systems thinking to advance circular food entrepreneurship (CFE) at the multi-level.