Abstract
<jats:sec> <jats:title>Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>This study investigates how smart food safety management systems (Smart FSMS) enable circular economy (CE) outcomes in agri-food supply chains. It specifically focuses on companies already certified under ISO 22000 or HACCP standards. Guided by the natural resource-based view and ecological modernisation theory, the research conceptualises Smart FSMS as circular capabilities embedded in governance, data and collaboration routines.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>The study applied fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy AHP) to prioritise Smart FSMS determinants based on a two-stage design. First, forty-eight ISO 22000/HACCP-certified agri-food firms were identified and recruited as the sampling frame. Second, structured questionnaires (including AHP pairwise-comparison judgments) were administered to employees/managers within these firms, yielding 243 valid individual responses. For the Fuzzy AHP computation, individual pairwise judgments were aggregated to represent firm-level priorities (i.e. consolidating multiple respondents within each certified firm), and then synthesised across the 48 firms to obtain overall weights. This approach was utilised to prioritise the relative importance of internal, external and cross-cutting determinants of the Smart FSMS and to connect them to CE and economic outcomes. A four-phase roadmap is developed for application by certified firms.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The results reveal a core governance- and data-driven pathway to circularity. Key determinants prioritise: Internal: authority, responsibility and policy (governance); monitoring and identification (hazard analysis) and construction and equipment (prerequisite programs). HR/Resources: Training is the top human resource lever; financial resources and facilities outweigh technology. External/Collaboration: information exchange and continuous improvement lead inter-firm collaboration; supplier relationships are driven by trust, commitment, inspection and distance; and government stimulus and education carry more weight than sanctions. Outcomes: circular results prioritise renewable energy and waste management, while economic performance is driven by profit and market expansion.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>The study offers an empirically grounded and standards-compatible pathway for ISO/HACCP certified firms to transition toward CE practices. It provides a unique conceptualisation of Smart FSMS as circular capabilities and develops an actionable four-phase roadmap, from stabilising ISO foundations to coordinating inter-firm collaboration for safe donation and scaling low-carbon outcomes. The findings offer practical guidance for both managers and policymakers aiming to foster circular and low-carbon agri-food systems.</jats:p> </jats:sec>