# IoT Services for Monitoring Food Supply Chains
## 2 Literature Review  
### Sensor Technologies and Foodborne Illness Monitoring  
Foodborne illnesses are a major yet preventable public health issue, responsible for about 48 million illnesses and 3000 deaths worldwide each year. They are caused by consuming food contaminated with harmful microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Since symptoms often resemble the flu--such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever--many cases go unrecognised or are misattributed. Traditional methods of detecting and reporting foodborne outbreaks are often slow and inefficient. In response, modern technologies such as wireless sensors, intelligent monitoring systems, and data analytics (including infodemiology and infoveillance) are now being used to detect potential outbreaks in real-time. These tools improve the speed, accuracy, and effectiveness of food safety monitoring compared to conventional systems [6,7]. Food traceability and monitoring is the ability to track the movement of food products throughout the supply chain, from farm to shelf. It allows the identification of the origin, processing, distribution, and sale of perishable products. Food traceability is essential in the food industry, as it helps ensure food safety and quality, prevent foodborne illness outbreaks, and reduce the impact of food recalls. Several studies [6,7] utilised various monitoring tools to assess food temperature throughout the cold chain and detected temperature abuse at all stages of the chain [8]. Therefore, food distribution is a complex process that considers the effect of environmental conditions on the food temperature throughout the cold chain [9]. The cold supply chain comprises several key stages to ensure that temperature-sensitive products, such as food, remain at the proper temperature to preserve their quality and safety. It begins with production or harvesting, where products are quickly cooled or frozen to prevent spoilage. Next, they are packaged in materials that help maintain the required temperature, often using insulation or temperature-controlled containers. Once packaged, the products are transported in refrigerated trucks, containers, or via air cargo, where temperature is closely monitored to prevent disruptions. Upon reaching storage facilities, products are kept in climate-controlled environments, such as refrigerators or freezers, until they are ready for further distribution. These products are then distributed to retail outlets, healthcare facilities, or directly to consumers, still under temperature control. At retail, temperature-sensitive products are displayed in refrigerated or frozen units, which must be handled carefully to prevent temperature abuse. Finally, at the consumer or end-use stage, the consumer must store the products correctly, such as in refrigeration, to maintain their integrity until they are consumed or used. Each stage in the cold supply chain requires careful monitoring and handling to ensure that products remain safe, effective, and of high quality. So, transportation, storage, and retail stages demonstrated the highest temperature abuse rate [9; 10]. The ongoing monitoring and regulation of food storage temperatures throughout all phases of the cold chain are essential components of ensuring food safety. Any disruption at any point in this chain can result in significant food waste, elevate the risk of foodborne illnesses, and lead to non-compliance with established safety regulations. Fortunately, advances in LoRaWAN technology have greatly enhanced the capabilities of wireless sensors, enabling them to effectively meet the stringent performance demands in the challenging environments of food service organisations. This includes a wide range of settings such as commercial restaurants, large warehouses, transport vehicles, and every other critical stage involved in maintaining the integrity of the food cold chain.