Lingnan University Study Advocates Cross-Tier Food Traceability System to Boost Safety and Efficiency in Hong Kong's Import-Dependent Market

The Hong Kong SAR imports over 90 per cent of its food, and it can be very difficult when food safety incidents occur to trace the source across a complex supply chain. Prof Leng Mingming, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Chair Professor of Operations and Risk Management at Lingnan University, has published a new study proposing the introduction of a unified product tracing system across the food supply chain. The study confirms that such a system would improve overall traceability efficiency, and analysis shows that cooperative mechanisms across supply chain tiers help reduce the entry of problematic food into the market, improving both food safety and consumer confidence. The research findings have been published in the internationally respected flagship journal IISE Transactions of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.

The Faculty of Business at Lingnan University.

The international research team, comprising Prof Leng and scholars from Hunan University, the University of Southern California, and McMaster University of Ontario, developed a three-tier food processing system covering upstream producers, midstream manufacturers or wholesalers, and downstream retailers, including supermarkets and catering groups, forming a “cross-tier” network. Using cooperative game theory, the team analysed independent decision-making versus coalition-based cooperation potential profit outcomes for stakeholders. Results show that when supply chain tiers act independently up to 90 per cent of total profits may be lost, but a unified cross-tier cooperative alliance between manufacturers and retailers can reduce losses to approximately 55 per cent.

The study also explains that the fewer “separate coalitions” there are within the supply chain, the more effectively manufacturers and retailers can share traceability responsibilities, leading to higher total profits. Adopting a unified product tracing system reduces fragmented decision-making, improves operational efficiency, lowers unnecessary costs, and promotes more equitable profit allocation. This strengthens incentives for cooperation across supply chain tiers, and helps alleviate concerns among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the high costs or limited resources that may discourage participation in a unified tracing system.

Prof Leng Mingming, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Chair Professor of Operations and Risk Management at Lingnan University, has published a new study proposing a unified product tracing system across the food supply chain. The system would improve traceability efficiency and food safety management, and the findings have been published in the flagship journal IISE Transactions of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.

Prof Leng noted “According to data from the Food Industry Association, about 64 per cent of consumers worldwide prefer brands that provide detailed product information and traceability records. A well-established product tracing system is better able to identify and intercept contaminated food or food that has deteriorated before it reaches retail markets, significantly reducing the risk of economic losses from product recalls.”

He added “Our study shows that cross-tier cooperation between manufacturers and retailers is key to improving overall supply chain efficiency. The Hong Kong SAR’s reliance on imported food underscores the importance of robust food traceability systems that enhance public confidence in food safety and support sustainable economic development. The use of innovative technologies such as blockchain and the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) for food monitoring has become a global trend among major retailers and food companies. As an international trade hub, the Hong Kong SAR should encourage the adoption of these technologies for supply chain transparency and long-term sustainable development in the industry.”

The study also shows that many upstream farmers and manufacturers are SMEs with limited capital and technical resources, and it is difficult for them to shoulder the costs of implementing a tracing system independently. When penalties for distributing problematic foods are high, downstream retailers and manufacturers have a greater incentive to adopt a unified tracing system to intercept compromised food, thus appropriate regulatory measures can serve as an important lever to drive technology adoption in the industry.

Prof Leng has been named the recipient of the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS)’s 2026 Dean of the Year Award. He was the sole winner selected from over 640 universities across 39 countries and regions. The award is presented annually to one outstanding dean who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in business education and consistent support for students.

Read the full study here: System-wide incentives to trace food processing: A cooperative-game analysis

Prof Richard M. Walker, Head of the Department of Government and International Affairs and Lee Shau Kee Foundation Chair Professor of Public Administration at Lingnan University, has been given the prestigious Routledge Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) in recognition of his sustained dedication and outstanding contributions to the field. Prof Walker is the first scholar in Hong Kong to receive this honour, bringing distinction to Hong Kong's academic community and emphasising Lingnan University's international leadership in the discipline.

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University expressed his sincere congratulations to Prof Walker on this accolade, and said, "In recent years, Prof Walker has actively integrated Computational Social Science with public management research, and established the Governance and Bureaucracy Lab (GOVBUR Lab) at Lingnan University. The Lab examines new challenges, including the effectiveness and governance of artificial intelligence applications in the digital age, embodying the University's special vision of combining a liberal arts education with cutting-edge science. These international partners include several of the world's top 100 universities, such as Duke University, University of Michigan, and New York University in the US, Yonsei University in South Korea, and Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which further consolidates our position as a leading research-oriented liberal arts university, comprehensive in arts and sciences, in the digital era."

Prof Walker said he was greatly honoured to receive this international recognition, and that "I believe one of the research endeavours that contributed to this award is a replication project that I led, funded by the Research Grants Council (RGC), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit. The project analyses the applicability of Western public administration theories in Asia. Given that university education and research in Asian public administration draw predominantly on Western concepts and often overlook the unique economic, political, social, and institutional contexts in Asia, replicating experimental studies of citizen satisfaction with public services as well as performance indicator data analysis, are essential, and allow us to develop updated theoretical frameworks grounded in empirical findings and to bring Asian data into the global scholarly conversation."

Beyond refining traditional academic theories, Prof Walker has also used big data to examine very large volumes of literature, which show that the research theme of Management Innovation (MI) in public service has itself developed into an independent field of study. He is currently co-authoring a book on Management Innovation in Public Services with Prof Fariborz Damanpour of Rutgers University, to be published by the Oxford University Press. This will be the first academic work to systematically explore the topic, and study how rational and institutional factors shape the development and implementation of management innovation in public service organisations.

To increase Lingnan University's international influence, Prof Walker has founded the GOVBUR Lab, which incorporates perspectives from public administration and political science to focus on dynamic issues such as citizen-government relationships, artificial intelligence, and governance efficacy. The Lab will form partnerships and arrange academic exchanges with the world's top universities, bringing together distinguished visiting scholars such as Prof Wang Yuhua from Harvard University, Prof Meng Tianguang from Tsinghua University, Prof Lü Xiaobo from the University of California, Berkeley, Prof Oliver James from the University of Exeter, and Prof M. Jae Moon from Yonsei University, and further extend Lingnan University's academic influence in international public management research and contribute to consolidating Hong Kong's position as an international higher education hub.

The Routledge Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the council of the IRSPM. It was first given in 2007, and goes to only one distinguished scholar each year.

Prof Richard M. Walker (right) delivers a keynote speech on his latest research, and receives the Routledge Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 annual conference of the International Research Society for Public Management.