INL and WUR organize TrustEat Final Conference

On September 22nd, the TrustEat project held its Final Conference at Wageningen University and Research. The conference aimed to share the project's results and discuss future opportunities for applying blockchain technology to the agri-food sector. The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and Wageningen University and Research (WUR) co-organized the event.

The conference provided an engaging and interactive forum for panellists and participants to discuss the current state of the technology and its potential future applications.

We can confidently say that the conference was a success! Thanks to all participants and organisers who made this possible.

Didn’t get the chance to participate? Check the video below.

INL hosts the Final Technical Workshop powered by TrustEat

Today, June 21st, INL hosted the final Technical Workshop, which was powered by TrustEat. 

Everyone involved in the project, including our esteemed partners WUR and IBM, attended the gathering.

The key highlights of the meeting included the scientific production resulting from the project, which included not only publications, knowledge transfer, and contributions to congresses but also joint proposal applications for new scientific projects. Additionally, the non-scientific secondments were beneficial for learning project management practices and infrastructure. We had the opportunity to share personal experiences with our colleagues from INL, WUR, and IBM, which helped us to improve our ability to enhance blockchain. 

This wonderful experience has been instrumental in both personal and professional development and has also made significant contributions to the field of science.

Summer School 1st Edition

Summer 2021 has come to an end and with it our TrustEat Summer School. Here we would like to share with you some precious lessons learnt from it, even interesting for dummies in blockchain!

Which are the benefits of applying BCT to the Agrifood sector?

• Value chains in agrifood are complex and interlinked. This is where blockchain can bring value

• Food authenticity, safety, and traceability of the chains are among the most common topics where BCT can play a key role in the short/mid-term.

  Some examples of benefits:

• Blockchain allows us to trust labels such as organic food certifies. 

• Spend less money on certifications such as is the case for traceability of fair trade.

• With cyber-physical systems more present, Blockchain can prove that machine to machines work well.

• Economics of information helps us to make choices. If we don’t have the right data, we will not be able to make the right decisions.

To which extent has blockchain been implemented?

• Blockchain is no longer hype, the IT infrastructure was missing, now there is room for development and it is just starting.

• New sensing tools are able to provide analytical information that can be part of BCT systems.

• Using already available mobile phone built-in scanners, a consumer has more information than the government, a retailer or a supplier.

• There are already many companies applying Blockchain to their products, most of the big companies.

• Food value chains are complex, hazards/risks can happen, blockchain could help us to act faster. Rapid methods have not been adopted yet by industry, a culture change may be needed to make it happen.

Who may be interested in it?

• Blockchain may be more accessible for corporates, and not so much for local companies.

• If one of the stakeholders in the value chain is not willing to share info or the right info, especially at the end of the chain, can lead to the BC not working. The critical Blockchain network lives and dies with the consortium.

• If we don’t change the way we work, blockchain will never work.

• Those entities willing to share data may be the winners in the food area.

What do you need to start building your blockchain?

• You may start building your database with a problem to solve or you with data not having a problem to solve, but finally you reveal a question to be solved.

• The initiator of the BC needs to make sure in the initial conversations if the problem identified is really a problem. Make sure you understand the day to day issues. IT applications can fail, so we need to put the right effort on it.

• You cannot use blockchain in the right way if you don’t have norms, standardization is key.

• As Food chains are complex, it is easier to apply Blockchain to shorter food value chains.

• Smart contracts can be written in any programming language, instead of having to learn it.

• The workflow of Hyperledger Fabric is a good example of an open source BCT tool that has been applied to the agri-food industry.

• The practical implementation of the software may be complex. It is important to ensure the transparency of the technology.

• GIT tracking software can be used with everything, even with papers. Try to use libraries so that you don’t have to do anything from yourself. For any project that you may have, there are thousands of libraries.

Know more about this edition here.

TrustEat applies blockchain to the food chain improving safety and traceability for the benefit of consumers

TrustEat Kickoff Group Picture

Blockchain technology may be a familiar concept when we talk about financial applications, where safety and trust are paramount, by guaranteeing and safeguarding an unbreakable connection between origin and destiny of sensitive data.

What if we could apply the same principle to the food chain, by knowing that what we eat is safe and authentic from farm to fork?

That is the whole idea behind TrustEat, a European Project joining the best competencies from three renowned partners. INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, an intergovernmental research organization headquartered in Braga, Portugal, joined efforts with IBM Research (Switzerland), the most reputed centre in Europe in the field of chip technologies, and also with Wageningen University & Research (WUR, Netherlands), considered to be the top research centre in the fields of food, agriculture, and environment.

INL has been working with remarkable success in developing technological solutions that guarantee food quality and safety, as well as its authenticity and traceability. Over the next three years, this consortium will apply blockchain to the food chain and involve at least 200 stakeholders from all over Europe in this project that intends to generate awareness for the need to build trust among all the links of the process, from the producer to the consumer, who is increasingly demanding and informed.

The TrustEat project is a Twinning action aiming to strengthen the research area of food blockchain, focusing on improving INL´s research profile and capturing future opportunities for joint research. With these objectives, partners will develop an R&D Strategic Roadmap, as well as to conduct training for senior and junior researchers, benchmark activities in research management, and develop different activities with stakeholders to make the project sustainable, facilitating the transfer of knowledge.

Activities include staff exchanges, expert visits, on-site/virtual training, workshops, conference, joint summer schools with external students in 2021 and 2022, and activities to increase ecosystem awareness.

Why it matters

Food safety is essential for the effective functioning of markets with trust and transparency. Many risks may occur along the food chain from many contaminants. Besides, malpractices or fraudulent practices could also lead to increased food safety risks.

It is of major importance for public health to develop integrated approaches along the entire food chain for detecting, assessing, and mitigating pathogens and contaminant hazards. The food blockchain technology would allow ensuring the food value chain integrity to consumers, that is, safety, traceability, and authenticity.

By using blockchain all the stakeholders in the food value chain will know where their food comes from using real-time data, which can effectively increase trust and confidence about food production from start to finish. By establishing a link between two of the best leading institutions in food integrity and blockchain, INL will improve the quality and the innovative nature of the developed research, by strengthening the interaction of partners all over Europe.