Making supply chain traceability strategic: insights from the food industry

PurposeThis paper aims to present an emergent framework that proposes the strategic importance of supply chain (SC) traceability beyond the traditional role in supporting product safety, recalls and sustainability initiatives.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory (GT) approach with 22 in-depth interviews with managers from 10 countries/territories and 3 different echelons of the food SC is employed to arrive at the strategic traceability framework and framework's propositions.FindingsThe framework suggests that traceability can sometimes help expose and modify firms' core and non-core SC capabilities and provide an opportunity to align them better with SC strategies. This alignment may require a complementary execution of human coordination and the adoption of technological traceability components.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that firms may be able to extract greater value from the firms' traceability investments. While traceability continues to serve the key purposes of preventing and mitigating the risks of recalls, this can sometimes illuminate sustained business growth opportunities.Originality/valueThe study extends traceability beyond a means to meet the requirements of product safety, recalls and sustainability. Rather, this study establishes traceability's role in exposing and aligning firms' capabilities for business gain and not merely recall risk mitigation. This reframing of the premise for traceability can invigorate both research and practice on the subject of traceability.