DIGITAL TRACEABILITY GOVERNANCE AND FOOD-RECALL READINESS: A COBIT 2019-BASED DIAGNOSIS AND 2030 SCENARIOS

Abstract

Food-safety incidents raise a critical governance question: how reliably can firms identify and contain contaminated products? This exploratory mixed-method single-case study examines traceability-governance readiness in AgriCo Group, an Algerian agri-food conglomerate, using COBIT 2019 as a diagnostic lens. Interviews and documentary evidence provide the primary evidence, complemented by a questionnaire (n = 32) for descriptive triangulation. The overall diagnostic score is 2.5/5, revealing marked functional asymmetry: DSS reaches 3.4/5, compared with APO at 2.1/5 and MEA at 2.3/5. This pattern supports the provisional concept of functional asymmetric maturity, whereby operational IT capabilities develop faster than strategic alignment, data ownership, and monitoring capabilities. Four readiness dimensions—data governance, operational traceability, change and integration control, and governance assurance—structure a governance roadmap and conditional scenarios to 2030. While the single-case design does not establish causal effects on food-safety outcomes, the study provides a testable framework for examining how private-sector IT governance shapes digital traceability and food-recall readiness.