Abstract:

Sustainable food systems are essential for ensuring global food security. However, traditional agricultural and food production methods face increasing challenges, including resource inefficiency, limited traceability, and poor responsiveness to changes in consumer demand. The increasing development of the Internet of Things (IoT) presents an opportunity to improve sustainability and efficiency across food systems by integrating innovative technologies that enable real-time monitoring, data collection, and informed decision-making. Despite its potential, IoT adoption in food systems remains low, particularly in developing economies, where digital infrastructure and technical capacity are limited. This study aimed to identify and analyse the key factors that influence the adoption of IoT technologies in sustainable food systems. A systematic literature review examined peer-reviewed studies published between 2017 and 2025. The analysis applied the STOPE framework, which categorises adoption factors into Strategic, Technological, Organisational, People, and Environmental domains. It used a literature matrix to determine how often prior studies reported each factor. The findings show that technological factors were the most frequently cited, with integration, cost, and complexity being the dominant sub-factors influencing adoption. Strategic factors, including development plans and strategic objectives, were moderately represented, whereas organisational factors, such as financial investment and information support, were important but less consistently reported. People factors, namely awareness, education, and training, were also identified as enablers of adoption. Environmental factors, particularly infrastructure and government regulations, also played a significant role. Correlation analysis revealed strong relationships between organisational and people factors as well as between technological and environmental factors, highlighting their interdependence. The results provide a structured understanding of adoption influencers and offer a basis for developing policies and strategies to strengthen digital transformation, particularly through the use of IoT technologies in global food systems.