On our tables now there are no more just supplies and dishes of all kinds, you do not need an expert to understand that nowadays there is also a lot of technology.
When you associate the words food and tech, food and technology, the first thing that usually comes to mind are the innovative methods that are used today to improve crop productivity, as well as all the possible solutions to be adopted to meet problems like : food safety and product traceability.
Food and technology are more similar than one might think. People who like and work with technologies tend by their very nature not to accept things as they are. They want to change and improve. The same is true when it comes to food.
Not surprisingly, therefore, all the forecasts indicate that the development of this sector is destined to grow further over the next few years.
An opportunity not just for our country, Italy, you know, is universally recognized in a virtually axiomatic as the country of good food.
Food Tech: from the earth to the table
Technology now plays a fundamental role in improving the quality and abundance of crops.
A very successful sector is that of precision agriculture and precision farming.
The use of a whole series of strategies, which use the technologies, to improve the management of agricultural systems and consequently production.
These activities include, for example, the collection and analysis of specific data and information regarding the variables that may affect agricultural production. These include the climate, the pests, the different production situations of a plot, etc.
The obvious purpose is to make the most of every minimum portion of the plot. The difference with the classical intensive farming lies in the biochemical respect of the land, in a perspective in which sustainability plays a central role.
In addition to automated data collection systems (sensors, drones, intelligent tractors), to the algorithms that are used extensions, the new frontier will be, also in this case, the use of artificial intelligence.
Food Tech: traceability of the supply chain
Very delicate situation is that concerning the counterfeiting of products. A recent report by Coldiretti reports: out of 10 “Made in Italy” products exported abroad, even 6 would be false.
The turnover of the forgery is worth today around 60 billion euros worldwide.
Counterfeiting which also has obvious repercussions on what is health. You do not need explanations to understand how harmful it can be to eat a food that has suffered some kind of sophistication.
New technologies can play a fundamental role in curbing this dangerous drift, offering new systems to track with precision the one we bring to the table.
Many will surely have heard of Blockchain. The term has grown to the top of the news as it is associated with the phenomenon of cryptocurrencies. A technology that finds a new and strategic use precisely in tracing without the slightest shadow of doubt what is the birth, origin and history of a product.
The challenge rather than the application of technology will be from the cultural point of view. In order for the traceability to be really effective, all the actors involved in the food supply chain must be willing to share a whole series of information, in the name of greater transparency.
