Integrated System for a Reliable Traceability of Food Supply Chains

the project aims to develop an innovative food traceability system based on the following aspects: (i) establishment of objective connections between the product flow and the information flow along the food chain.This will be realised through the implementation of microdevices,based on microarrays and Q RT-PCR technologies embedded in lab-on-achip (ii) development of an information management system which fits to the existing technologies present along the diverse players of the food chain from the raw materials to the sale of products and it is open for upcoming technologies,without imposing any technology change to any player.This will be achieved through the development of a Service Oriented Architecture model (iii) maximum care of cost aspects of the used technologies due to the fact that for being routinely implemented in the food sector, having typically tiny margins, traceability needs to weight not more than between 1 and 2% of the product cost. This will be achieved with use of inexpensive technologies (internet based), continuous cost assessment of project results,innovative ways to exploit the system. The new traceability system will integrate EU and non-EU emerging technologies from ongoing projects into a single framework and will implement a pilot version in two representative food chain models: feed/dairy and tomato (dominant chains of the agro- food sector). The project is articulated around 10 WP, including project management, and has a duration of 48 months. It is supported by extensive training of food chain stakeholders, dissemination to scientific, public and business decision makers and exploitation for driving food chains towards the proposed traceability system. The project will include SME Baskets for involving high-tech SMEs and food SMEs into the realisation of the pilot system.