Perishable Food Supply Chains for Sustainability Management: An Indian Cold Chain Business Perspective with Digital Transformation

Abstract

Perishable food supply chains play a crucial role in ensuring food security, minimizing post-harvest losses, and supporting sustainable development, particularly in emerging economies. Although India is among the world’s leading producers of agricultural and horticultural commodities, significant inefficiencies persist within its cold chain ecosystem. According to the World Bank (2022), logistics and cold chain bottlenecks contribute substantially to food losses and reduced market competitiveness. These inefficiencies are further aggravated by fragmented logistics networks, limited digital adoption, skill shortages, and weak traceability mechanisms. This paper examines sustainability challenges in India’s perishable food supply chains from a cold chain business perspective. Using a qualitative and conceptual research design based on existing empirical studies and policy reports, the study identifies key structural, operational, human resource, and institutional barriers. The paper further analyses how digital transformation through Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and blockchain technologies can improve efficiency, transparency, and sustainability outcomes (Gupta & Jain, 2026; Khanna et al., 2025). The study proposes a conceptual framework linking digital transformation with sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and trade competitiveness in developing economies.