*2.2. Sustainability Governance in Food Supply Chains*

Compared to supply chains of other industrial and consumer goods, the coordination of food supply chains is challenging due to the perishability of food. Product spoilage must be prevented, and food safety must be ensured through appropriate transportation measures and storage temperatures [25,26]. Additionally, volatile consumption on the consumer side and weather-dependent production of raw materials affect the design and coordination of supply chains in the food industry [27].

Food products pass through several companies in a supply chain, including farmers, distributers, processors, and retailers (see Figure 1) [28,29]. These actors share the responsibility of meeting consumer needs [30]. Actors in food supply chains should therefore work closely together to have a smooth flow of goods in the supply chain and to be able to ensure the sustainability of the products [31].

**Figure 1.** Actors in global food supply chains.

Sustainability can be defined as the "result of the activities of an organization, voluntary or governed by law, that demonstrate the ability of the organization to maintain viable its business operations (including financial viability as appropriate) whilst not negatively impacting any social or environmental systems" ([32], pp. 73–74). Sustainability is distinguished into social, environmental, and economic sustainability dimensions. The different dimensions support each other, and long-term sustainability can only be achieved by considering all three aspects of sustainability [33]. Sustainability in food supply chains refers specifically to environmental aspects, such as food waste, greenhouse gas emissions during production, and transportation distances from the point of production to the point of consumption [34], as well as social aspects, such as the employees' wages or work place safety [35]. There are different approaches to increasing sustainability within food supply chains, e.g., local sourcing to reduce transport distances [36] or reducing food waste [37].

Companies are increasingly designing their supply chain governance to ensure the sustainability of agricultural inputs. For example, Bastian and Zentes [38] show that a high level of information exchange or the inclusion of sub-suppliers in supply chain coordination leads to greater transparency in food supply chains, which increases social and environmental, but also economic sustainability. Previous research has mainly focused on the governance perspective of retailers or manufacturers, with little investigation of the role of intermediaries (e.g., [39]). However, Grabs and Carodenuto [7] emphasize that, for example, traders in the intermediate stages of the supply chain can also substantially influence sustainability governance and therefore calls for a holistic investigation of the governance of all actors in food supply chains. Therefore, we aim to investigate sustainability governance in food supply chains considering all actors, from raw material producers to retailers.
