S3P T&BD
Daniel Sanz
Hispatec
eTIC4FOOD is a project based on the creation of an ICT tool for Smart Labeling of sustainable fruit and vegetable production. The partners involved are Caparrós, Tecnova, Almería Techonology Park and Hispatec.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Question:</span> First of all, thank you Daniel for your availability to share with the Traceability & Big Data newsletter readers the work you are currently performing in the Project eTIC4FOOD. So let us start speaking about the beginning of eTIC4food, when and why it was conceived.
<span style="color: #af342f";>Answer:</span> Thank you for this opportunity sharing our work. The Project began to be conceived in view of the calls for Andalusian operational groups in 2020. The partners involved in the Project are Caparrós, Tecnova, Almería Techonology Park and Hispatec. The idea arose from the fact that all the partners involved in the projects were interested in creating a tool that will help buyers (end users) to have information about traceability of the products.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> Why did you decide to become an Operational Group?
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> We chose to present ourselves to the call for the operational groups because all the partners involved were from the autonomous community of Andalucía. We thought that this type of call was a great opportunity to carry out the project.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> Which are the objectives of eTIC4Food?
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> The general objective of the eTIC4FOOD project is the creation of an ICT tool for Smart Labeling of sustainable fruit and vegetable production. This was done by developing a digital footprint of the fruit and vegetable product, integrated into an information platform between the producer and the consumer, through the design of a smart label, equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology and QR (Quick Response) code.
This label has been designed based on a short-range data transmission protocol, easy to use by the consumer since it will be based on sensors incorporated into current mobile devices (phones, tablets or smartwatches), which will allow it to be read and translated in a simple way.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> Now, we would like to know more in detail the use of the platform that integrates the services provided by eTIC4food
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> The platform used for data integration is called EFEMIS. It is a farm management platform developed by Hispatec. This software consists of several modules in which information can be integrated automatically or manually. One of the modules is that of crops. In it you can record a wide variety of information on the cultivation plots such as the species of the crop, the variety, the planting date, the harvest date, etc.
The new module allows the creation of QRs, which can direct the user through a URL to the important information that has been registered on the platform for viewing by buyers. This information that will be displayed will be that which may be useful or of interest to buyers such as the farms where the fruit has been produced, amount of water used, fruit quality ranges, production company information, etc.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> Which novelties includes eTIC4food regarding the use of QR?
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> The news that the related project includes is the creation of QR associated with production lots that have been cultivated in each of the farms. This information has been entered into the platform, which allows the buyer to access personalized information for each lot.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> What is the current status of the project?
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> We are about to start the pilot with Caparrós. Now they will begin to generate their QRs, print them and put them in the product boxes, in this case tomato and watermelon. This will allow us to check that it works and see if any aspect needs to be corrected.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> The finalisation of the project is set on October 2023, which are the expected outcomes?
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> We hope that the tool will be well received by consumers, that they will have more information about the product in an easy way and that it will be useful to them.
<span style="color: #469d9c";>Q:</span> And finally, are you thinking about the possibility of extending the lifetime of eTIC4food?
<span style="color: #af342f";>A:</span> Yes, one of the options could be to create another operational group to include blockchain technology in this tool.
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Articles related to the Project (just available in Spanish):
‘eTIC4Food’; la nueva etiqueta inteligente - eComercio Agrario