#TrustEat - Agri-food research at INL by adding blockchain technology

INL is performing an intense research activity in agri-food, namely in developing sensors for precision agriculture, food safety, materials for food packaging, and solutions to produce healthier foods, and prevent food fraud. For example, food safety risks may occur in different points of the food value chain, caused by malpractices, cross-contamination or fraudulent practices. It is of major importance to public health to develop integrated approaches along the entire food value chain for detecting, assessing, and mitigating risks.

The project #TrustEat aims to add a new dimension to the current research in the agri-food area at INL by adding blockchain technology. This technology can ensure the food value chain integrity to the consumers, providing a reliable tool to contribute to the safety, traceability and authenticity of food systems.

Blockchain is an immutable digital ledger that works through a consensus of computer systems; there is not one central authority over the blockchain. Since all stakeholders have the same version of the ledger and modify it only in agreement with previously agreed rules, disputes are minimized. Additionally, records on the blockchain are immutable, which is important for the transparency of the food system.

By using blockchain, all the stakeholders in a food value chain may know where their food comes in real-time, which can increase trust and confidence about food production, from farm to fork.

#TrustEat is powering a new event - the TrustEat Summer School will take place from September 19-22. This unique Summer School is an initiative inside the TrustEat project to gather Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) and Experienced Researchers (ERs) with state-of-the-art, first-hand knowledge from renowned experts of IBM and WUR in blockchain and agrifood.