FoodDNA as a web-based platform developed to meet the needs of the food industry regarding problems related to traceability of the food chain and environmental impact

Title

FoodDNA as a web-based platform developed to meet the needs of the food industry regarding problems related to traceability of the food chain and environmental impact

Duration

9 June 2020 / 9 December 2020

VIDA Challenges

Resource-efficient food processing

Summary

Food production has a huge environmental impact, accounts for about 6% of total EU Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG). It has an embedded environmental impact due to the energy and natural resources used (for example soil and water), and to the associated emissions generated throughout its lifecycle, which have a quantifiable environmental impact in 76 MtCO2eq/year. This impact could be significantly reduced if sustainable, non-intensive agriculture policies were put into practice and agricultural use of chemicals harmful to humans and the environment were discouraged. The environmental problem is also accompanied by the social problem linked to the lack of trust on the part of the consumer in the information on the product label. This is due to the fact that in recent years there have been many scams related to the origin of the products and problems related to the presence of harmful compounds present within the products themselves. FoodDNA Platform contributes to the creation of innovative value by assigning a specific score to foods. In food DNA the quality of food is determined with objective analysis based on highlighting the environmental value (LCA) of the food and the differences between several products of the same type. The aim of the Validation Voucher is to validate the mathematical model of the FoodDNA platform to assign each product a score with respect to the environmental criterion. The idea of FoodDNA Platform was born from the observation that if the value of food has been lost, to the detriment of local economies and the nutritional quality of the food itself, there is a growing attention by consumers to the health aspects of food. FoodDNA allows all companies in the food supply chain to manage logistical and food safety data from the origins to the transport and packaging of the food itself. Through this tool, companies invest in the production of quality food and in transparency of the supply chain and the consumer consciously chooses these products by rewarding the company’s efforts. The platform guarantees to trace all the steps that a food has taken from its origin, through its transformation process until it ends with the consumer and guarantees transparency through an unchangeable technology (blockchain). It also reports the specific environmental impact of the product (e.g. consumption of water, chemicals and soil energy). The aim of our solution is to restore consumer confidence in food information and promote its value by using technology that ensures that data cannot be altered or modified.