Blockchain-based Food Supply Chain: Trend Mapping through Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Blockchain technology (BCT) has garnered substantial regarding within the food industry due to its ability to address critical concerns of traceability, transparency, and food safety. As research this area continues to expand rapidly, a comprehensive understanding of the evolving landscape, current research status, and future directions in BCT applications within the food supply chain becomes imperative. This paper aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to map the trends and research landscape of the blockchain-based food supply chain on Scopus database. The analysis was conducted on 1526 publications retrieved from the Scopus database covering the period from 2016 to 2025. The analysis identified yearly publication trends, notable authors, significant nations, notable research institutes, and top-tier journals in this domain. Furthermore, co-occurrence keyword analysis was performed to discover key themes and delineate emerging trends and future research directions related to IoT integration, smart contracts, artificial intelligence, food safety, and Industry 4.0. This study offers prominent insights for scholarly researchers, industry practitioners, and policymakers regarding the present status and future potential of BCT in the food supply chain field, while offering a useful reference subsequent investigations in this domain.