Building a safer food chain starts with blockchain By enhancing their blockchain credentials, researchers look to lead the drive towards a new, more secure food system. Food and Natural Resources © Manoj/stock.adobe.com They say we are what we eat, which is rather scary considering we usually don’t know much about where our food comes from. “Safety risks occur because there is no efficient way to implement a global food integrity system that controls safety, authenticity, ethics, fraud, traceability and quality along the entire food chain,” explains Lorenzo Pastrana, a food processing expert at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL). But with new technologies come new opportunities to make the food value chain more transparent. According to Pastrana, one such opportunity is blockchain technology. “A simple way of passing information from one point to another in a fully automated and safe manner, blockchain represents, together with other digital solutions, the next big revolution in food safety and security,” he adds. With the support of the EU-funded TrustEat project, INL, together with Wageningen University and Research and IBM Research Europe, is working to develop nanotechnology-based materials and sensors that could enable a food blockchain. Enhancing researchers’ blockchain skills and capacity At the heart of the project is a focus on enhancing INL’s scientific production and strengthening the project partners’ research capacity in food blockchain. It also looks to capture future opportunities for conducting joint research and developing marketable solutions. To achieve these goals, the project developed an R&D strategic roadmap. It also conducted training for senior and junior researchers, implemented benchmark activities in research management, and developed different activities with stakeholders to facilitate knowledge sharing. “The primary outcome of the project was an increase in the blockchain capacities and skills INL needs to lead the drive to a new, more secure food system,” says Pastrana. Commercialising sensors within the food blockchain ecosystem The project also looked at the key opportunities for blockchain technology within the food value chain, along with investigating any potential bottlenecks in its implementation. In addition, the research team developed a strategy for promoting blockchain’s use within the food and agriculture sectors. “Our main goal here was to understand the potential for commercialising INL’s sensors within the food blockchain ecosystem, where they could be used to provide information on the origin, quality and sustainability of agri-food products,” notes Pastrana. At the forefront of blockchain technology in the food sector Building on the momentum of the TrustEat project, INL is now turning its attention to applying its newfound knowledge and skills towards developing key blockchain and digital enabling solutions. For this, researchers are exploring a potential new EU-funded project that could, in addition to advancing the use of food blockchain technology, also explore how artificial intelligence can be used to make decisions about food integrity. “The TrustEat project opened the door to a new area of application for INL’s expertise in sensors, materials and devices, positioning us at the forefront of blockchain technology in the food sector,” concludes Pastrana. Keywords TrustEat, food chain, blockchain, food system, food safety, nanotechnology, sensors, agriculture, food sector, artificial intelligence
