Exploring the technological and managerial barriers to the digitalisation of food quality control systems

Food quality control systems need reconsideration due to challenges arising from globalisation, stricter regulations, growing consumer and customer interest in high-quality food and food sustainability, and high dependence on human labour. Industry 4.0 technologies, such as AI, IoT, robotics, and smart sensors, offer the potential to enhance these systems. Current research has focused on the potential utilisation of these advanced technologies in, amongst others, quality control, but the implementation barriers have been scarcely analysed. We addressed this gap by using a multidisciplinary perspective analysing both technological (i.e., process and product-related) and managerial (i.e., people and organisation-related) barriers to the digitalisation of food quality control systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from various food industries, which are in different stages of digitalisation. The major technological barrier is integrating new technologies into existing quality control systems and the complexity of modernising older factory systems. Major managerial barriers involve leadership attitudes towards digitalisation and the need for employee training. Additionally, large companies with multiple factories face difficulties adapting universal digital technologies to local factory needs. Our study provided useful insights on currently perceived and experienced barriers in the food industry, which can be used as input for improvements and solutions that may encourage the implementation of digital technologies into quality control systems. However, further research is needed to explore specific strategies for overcoming these barriers and developing a framework or roadmap that addresses the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies within existing quality control systems across different scales of food industries.