Towards digitalisation of food safety management systems – enablers and constraints

Ensuring the integrity, efficacy, efficiency, and reliability of the food safety management system (FSMS) has become imperative for every food business operator (FBO) as part of the interconnected food supply chains and essential to overcoming global food challenges. The 4th industrial revolution process creates new opportunities for FBOs, prompting a re-evaluation of the design, operation, and maintenance of FSMS. This article presents the findings of a Delphi study aimed to generate insights into the enablers, and technological and managerial constraints of introducing digitalisation in prerequisite programs (PRPs) and HACCP activities, the cornerstones of FSMS. The panel comprised experts from academia, industry, and consultancy to obtain a broad perspective. The experts suggested and agreed on how digitalisation can enable the design, operation, and maintenance of PRPs and HACCP-related activities. Regarding the managerial and technical/technological constraints, we observed a greater dispersion of agreement amongst the experts than the enablers. Typical managerial/organisational-related challenges encompass financial impact, lack of motivation/resistance to change, need for specific digital competencies/training, and absence of a clear regulatory framework. Technical/technological constraints included aspects such as lack of system adaptability/flexibility and user-friendliness, data entry workload, and ensuring system reliability. The research contributes to a better understanding of how digitalisation could enable the design, operation and maintenance of PRP and HACCP-based FSMS, and offers insights into the potential practical and policy implications of FSMS digitalisation. Future research could conduct case studies to evaluate FSMS digitalisation at the firm level, systematically assessing the tangible benefits and the barriers encountered by FBOs.