Even though Mediterranean food products are generally recognized for their high nutritional and sensorial value, there is a lack of trust concerning the origin of raw materials (e.g. fruits, vegetables, livestock, fish) and the quality of the processes starting from cultivation and breeding until packaging and transport.
MED Food TTHubs is a PRIMA project that seeks to support the implementation of full-path tracing practices through the whole distribution channel from seed to shelf in order to achieve safer and more sustainable Mediterranean food products for people all around the world.
In doing so, MED Food TTHubs develops and implement a “Voluntary Scheme of Traceability of MED foods”, acting as a point of reference for the various food products of the involved areas.
In MED Food TTHubs we have high expectations aiming to provide access to safer and more sustainable Mediterranean food products for people around the world. Ultimately, we want to support full transparency concerning the traceability and authenticity of these products towards the creation of an end-to-end trust-chain in the food sector.
MED Food TTHubs therefore aims to:
- Demonstrate the potential and applicability of full-path tracing practices throughout the whole food supply chain
- Empower food industry to address both food security and food origin challenges
- Contribute to the implementation of quality and authentication certificates for raw materials
- Improve markets and consumers’ confidence and trust in food industry transparency
- Support the operation of a permanent transnational network playing the role of one-stop-shop for traceability and authenticity for Mediterranean food products
MED Food TTHubs promotes documented traceability of the whole “seed-to-shelf” food supply chain, through proofs of authenticity for final products and ingredients, including also detailed information on their nutritional profile.
To this end, our underlying concept is simple: Establish seven Trace & Trust Hubs (T-T Hubs) bringing together various actors from service providers to end-users and consumers, aiming at providing transparency and trust throughout the whole supply chain.
The T-T Hubs will support the designing and proper implementation of comprehensive quality systems concerning the entire product lifecycle, with an extra focus on circular economy practices for optimal usage of resources.
The main features that characterise our approach are:
Voluntary Scheme of Traceability of MED foods
The Voluntary Scheme of Traceability (VST) of MED foods will act as a common protocol including detailed guidelines, audit procedures and KPIs in relation to practices and processes towards traceable, authenticated and of high nutritional quality products. VST will be developed and implemented, aiming at preserving added value information related to origin, species, isotope of the product, but also manipulations during the passage in the supply chain from one actor to another, by the use of a “certification” process based on blockchain technology.
Electronic platform
An e-platform will fully support the operation of the T-T Hubs. The dedicated web-based platform, will encompass a number of modules in order to:
- Facilitate sharing of information across the whole food supply chain
- Support the documentation of traceability and authenticity
- Support the effective provision of more trustful processes for certification and quality control