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Conscious Food

There is a lot of food tech innovations out there that have been popping up over the past few years. And food tech has become a fairly popular industry to be in, as people all around the world are looking for new and sustainable ways to feed themselves. The food-tech industry is also aiming at making food more affordable, which means it's becoming easier for those with a tight budget to spend on food every month. In this interview article, we will explore some of these recent food tech innovations! Why does it excite you? Food tech really excites me because it is such an important industry that has a direct impact on us as a human race! Not only does food tech make food accessible to people who might not be able to buy food otherwise, but its innovations also help reduce waste and allow for more sustainable ways of producing food. Having a positive environmental impact has always been extremely important to me, so I'm glad that we can now have clever food tech platforms all around us as well. By using technology to improve production, food producers serve a larger global population more efficiently. What are the trends in this area or products in this area that you are the fondest of? Why? Some of the leading trends in food tech are alternative proteins, food safety, and personalized nutrition. Alternative Proteins Consumers are increasingly turning to alternative protein sources to optimize their health and the environment, making it one of the most pressing food technology trends. We are seeing healthy and sustainable ways to consume , ,  and other forms of proteins. new meat seafood Food Safety and Transparency Customers are becoming more conscious about the quality of food they consume, and food safety is a major worry. Today customers can use smart labels and stand-alone food grading devices to make educated selections before purchasing meals. Personalized Nutrition Food manufacturers are now able to provide nutrition customization at scale thanks to 3D printing and the use of robotics in food production lines. Consumers can also test their blood and urine at home using at-home blood-and-urine testing kits, which allows them to discover food habits that are optimal for their genetic profiles. What are the positive impacts they can have on society? Sustainable and customized food options, while food tech startups and brands are integrating waste reduction practices and zero-waste workflows as a result of growing concerns over environmental impacts. This can create a positive impact on other tech verticals and even retail businesses that will get a better chance to follow these environment-friendly practices. What are your predictions on how these technologies will evolve? I believe we will benefit tremendously from the continued advancement of three main food tech verticals that include: Consumer food tech, Industrial food tech, and Supply chain and procurement. We will be able to get more transparency of the foods we eat and how we can eat better. What are your predictions on the ethics of future societies in relation to these technologies? Sustainability will play an even major part and will be discussed deeply throughout education systems and the media. People are truly beginning to value their food choices as much as they do those of fashion or technology because it directly affects them on a daily basis; therefore food tech companies have a broad opportunity to connect directly to consumers. The future of food tech is bright. This innovative industry has the potential to shape our environment for the better, as well as improve human health and wellness. Sources: Startup Insights Nicole Martin’s Forbes Article ING ResearchGate TechCrunch

Why We Should All Pay Attention To Recent Food Tech Innovations

I just completed the second and final weekend of a two-weekend hackathon with a 3 month gap in-between the weekends. I was joined by an old friend turned developer in the interest of creating a small project together. Our requirements included project self sufficiency and limited future maintenance. We had little interest in curating social networks or dealing with custom requests. It was important to set goals that we could actually achieve. To do that, we had a few ground rules: The (10) Rules Above all: complete the project Enjoy the time in-person. I live in New York, he lives in DC. That means one of us will be traveling. This is still and always preferable to remote work Ample coffee available Ample beer available Don’t shy away from great food, but do stay conscious of time Learn new things, but don’t force new things (see rule #1) Confine the necessary work to the weekend. This was especially important given the time between our weekends Wake up early Lean on each other’s strengths and trust the other person to do their job Repeat rule #1 We did hit our release, but I didn’t want to make this about self promotion. So if you’re really interested you can hit me up on . Twitter The more important goal here is to dissect the good and bad aspects of these micro product releases. I’ve learned a lot about technology, my relationships, my increasingly-limited time, my risk tolerance, and some of my other interests. Photo from Dan Carlson Defining a micro product Stage one of our process was to choose the direction we would go and aggressively limit our scope. We definitely noticed that is anything but common. Every product sector has layers of hard-earned knowledge. This is why it’s hard to beat subject-matter experts as co-founders. common knowledge Our highest depth of knowledge is software development. This inevitably means that we suffer from a slight lack of substance on most other things. This is to be expected. It is also something I wish more people understood about developers. The Good We limited the feature set on our initial concept. What we released actually looked a lot like our original plan. We planned & implemented a one-and-done, paid service. Every interaction happens within a single session. Customers receive emails upon completion. No long-term relationship with customers, no community curation (both time-intensive). We built marketing and communication plans into our weekend work schedules. This was new for me. It was incredibly eye opening and successful. The Bad We underestimated the crowded-ness of the market (domain registration tools). This was both from a features perspective and a marketing perspective. Our ad budget per click is far lower than much of the competition. We decided not to focus on SEO, choosing an AdWords strategy instead. It was probably the wrong idea, in hindsight. This is given the low cost of the service ($9.99 — $18.99). Pay-per-click advertising is very expensive when you have low conversion value like this. The technology that made the cut The greatness of most technology is very context dependent. If speed and minimal effort is a goal, then is my slogan to win the day. This is not to say some of the tools in the bad section are not good in other contexts. Get Up and Running, Quickly The Good : was the first and obvious winner. I had not used it yet. I had priorly favored generators that bundled client and server into the same generator. I think the Facebook slogan for the repo says it all: fatigue anyone? Not dealing with a build was the joy of our lives. facebook/create-react-app Create React apps with no build configuration. JavaScript : I actually wrote another article about that . Claudia saved us from dealing with the medium to high level configuration knowledge that was sucking time out of our development process. We wanted a simple API, we wanted to make changes, we wanted to be able to deploy it and have everything work. claudiajs/claudia here : Initially problematic, but with some great tutorials from and , we were able to get it up and working very well. You can’t beat the cost and the caching advantages are also very real. For a client that is merely hitting an external (or Lambda) API, it’s hard to do better for a micro product. S3 static hosting Kyle Galbraith here Sebastian Buckpesch here : It’s hard to say enough good things about stripe’s fantastic API and integration. They’ve made payment processing on the web into a pure joy. Stripe : Been using it for years, and hard to go with something else at this point. Even though it’s no longer maintained, I was happy with the ease and syntax of from . Mandrill rschmukler/powerdrill Ryan Schmukler The Bad : Originally looked like the right tool for the job. For the better informed on Lambda, it probably is the right tool for the job. For our case, messing with different configurations on Lambda became too much of a distraction and threatened to derail our momentum on the project. serverless/serverless AWS : I use it everywhere. Once was in the mix, the value-add for webpack was very limited. Anyone who has worked with webpack knows that it is in the business of configuration headaches, so it was nice to get it out of the way. webpack.js facebook/create-react-app Supplement resources for the win We engaged in some education. Aside from the standard Stack Overflow and frantic solution searching, there were a couple other things that helped us through the process: from . I took the first three sections to get us up and going. This thing is a beast. Very valuable. Very plain spoken. Very excellent advice on how to get up and running with Google AdWords. The Ultimate Google AdWords Course Isaac Rudansky Bought a great looking template for $65.00. Quickly converted it into React components with no fuss. The template adhered to bootstrap standards, so applying existing classes was trivial. To be clear, the template did not look like Bootstrap, it just applied the standards. ThemeForest It cannot be said enough that this is a great way to document an open source library and its API. Learned a ton, and hope I was able to give back with my videos . The Claudia JS Example Projects here which came in handy for bus and train tickets in the northeast corridor. WanderU Why Therapy? In four days of work and good community, we managed to release a client/server application with reliable connections to 5+ APIs. It serves a basic need for customers. It has viral marketing built into the checkout process. It processes payments via stripe. It has a detailed, thorough AdWords campaign behind it. It works well on desktops, mobile, and tablet devices. We don’t hate the code and we don’t hate ourselves. It feels good to say that. That’s the therapy part. What I’ve Learned My desire to create and release products is a disease. My cure is not in sight. The conclusion of the project was bittersweet. We can no longer focus on the next developer milestone. We have to see if customers are actually interested. That is the biggest test of all. I do believe that the ability to create things with little cost pushes developers to write a line of code before it’s necessary. My future attempts will likely undergo a greater degree of market testing. Given that, I think we have learned a great deal and should be able to apply it more surgically when the next thing comes around. Photo from Artem Sapegin

Micro product launches == developer therapy

How technology is transforming the way food and beverages are produced, delivered, and consumed globally. Together, the food and agriculture sector encompasses one of the biggest industries globally, with more than 7 billion customers that need to be constantly served. To meet the growing demand, the industry has seen a surge of advanced technologies (e.g. Artificial Intelligence or AI) usage in recent years. COVID-19 has revealed the need for using technologies to sustain our global food chains. Consequently, companies are investing in automating their processes and are relying more and more on AI-based technologies. The FoodTech ecosystem comprises all the food and beverages entrepreneurs as well as start-ups, which harness the capability of technology for the manufacturing, processing, packaging, delivery, and marketing of food products. Сompanies have come to incorporate and rely on a range of technologies to streamline their operations and boost output. According to Emergen Research, the FoodTech market is estimated to reach a valuation of $342.5 billion by 2027, with a CAGR (annual growth rate) of 5.7%. These include the widespread use of Advanced Analytics, Big Data, E-Commerce, IoT, Machine Learning, Robotics, Smart Waste Disposal and Recycling, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability Solutions, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain. However, to meet the growing and, more importantly, the changing demand of a growing population, the industry needs to further cultivate innovation by using state-of-the-art technologies in all its enterprises. The industry currently faces significant challenges from consumers who are demanding healthier, sustainable, and more personalized food products. Moreover, the effects of climate change and the slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continue to disrupt this already unstable industry. Factors changing the face of the FoodTech industry Food is no longer just a means of sustenance. People today have a unique perception and demand for the kind of food products they would like to include in their lifestyle. This is based on the following trends: Increasing awareness among health-conscious consumers has led to strong demand for healthy food products. . With new insights into our health and nutrition requirements, people want personalised products to meet their individual needs. Demand for healthy food with better quality In 2021, 67% of consumers seek more in-depth information about the food they consume With new insights into our health and nutrition requirements, people want products that are personalised to meet their individual needs. Quality of the food products also becomes more critical than ever as people are willing to pay more for higher quality. The increasing use of the internet globally has resulted in consumers’ access to almost unlimited sources of information about any item or ingredient in a matter of seconds. It is worth noting that people are paying more and more attention to their health, and taking care of themselves has become one of the highest values. In recent years, more and more individuals have given up drinking alcoholic beverages. Some of them choose natural alternatives to their drinks such as water or juice. Responsible drinking as the nearest future However, the beverage industry has not been left out, and now more and more companies are starting to produce what is known as “no-abv” and “low-abv” products. No-alcohol, as well as low-alcohol versions of popular spirits and wines, are now common, and more and more people prefer these options. Some tremendous progress will be seen in education on responsible drinking for people who prefer alcoholic beverages. This is moving fast into the category of social sustainability, becoming an inherent pillar of all forward-thinking beverage producers. A wide range of companies provide their customers with the information to ensure they understand the impact of alcohol on their health. One of such organisations is the that invests in and implements evidence-based harm reduction programmes, sustainable interventions, education, and awareness to address the harmful consumption of alcohol across areas of focus. However, the most impactful progress is to be made when AI technologies will be actively implemented in this area. Association of Alcohol Responsibility and Education Because, in addition to education, it is all about identifying individuals who are moving in the wrong direction and being able to intervene earlier. What is required is data and information analytics to be able to identify this. We will soon see the creation of a tool for validating information and implementing it on the consumer level in a consumer-friendly way. The FoodTech industry is rapidly moving towards higher digitalisation of the different systems to improve customers’ experience. Technology is shaping new ways of how products are manufactured, packaged, and delivered, how they taste and ,finally, how they are discarded. In addition, reduced availability of staff members and a higher wage demand are propelling many companies to invest in the declining cost of technology. Development of new technologies Companies are also using extensive and readily available customer data to benefit their operations in the current information age. For instance, using Machine Learning to conduct deep profiling can allow producers to perform consumer segmentation driven by affordability. Similar uses of AI and other data-led approaches can help them address many prevalent health concerns like obesity and nutritional deficiency and provide solutions to those who need them. Technologies such as blockchain, AI, and the Internet of Things can only be used best if the supply chain is optimised, which leads to further improvements in the efficiency and productivity of the supply network. A well-established organisation’s supply chain is critical to quality customer service. A high-performing supply chain ensures high business productivity, so customers get what they want and where they want it on time. Supply chain optimisation Moreover, supply chains have significant social and environmental impact. It is important for the modern consumer to know if products are produced in an environmentally friendly and ethical manner, using renewable or low-impact methods. However, after the COVID-19 crisis had shocked the world, people started to talk about the global supply chain crisis. All the problems are directly or indirectly related to the surge in consumer demand after the pandemic, but at the same time, they threaten what one leading economist calls a” ” that could knock the world economy off course. stagflationary wind . As of now, the worst is over. “The supply chain problems are much more persistent than most policymakers expected, although companies are less surprised,” said Mohamed El-Erian, and adviser to Allianz and president of Queens’ College, Cambridge It becomes critical for FoodTech companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. This is being realised by many food packaging companies which were the first to turn it into an opportunity for brand identity. Need for sustainability and higher efficiency They achieved this through the widespread adoption of sustainable solutions for creating holistic products, which are healthier for the individual and the planet. Another sustainability-led target area is to provide convenient food preparation solutions that minimise food and packaging waste. Using innovative technologies to achieve these demands can help companies capitalise on important social trends. A wide range of brands is revolutionising how food is produced and taking steps to preserve human life on Earth. One of such brands is Organic Valley. To minimise the impact of grazing on air quality, reduce the need for antibiotics, and avoid negative effects on the soil, the company uses organic pastures and provides its livestock with natural food. farmers are committed to conserving their cows in pasture as much as possible and taking care of their land to support the lives of all members of the ecosystem. Organic Valley Additionally, many governments are adopting an extremely proactive approach to sustainability both environmental and social. For example, the Republic of Ireland, one of the leading territories in this field, has implemented a special programme called , which is offered for participation to all Ireland-based businesses. The members benefit from extra government monetary and resource support in return for achieving the progressive annual goals. According to the , this allows Ireland to become the second (after Finland) most “food secure” country in the world. Origin Green Global Food Security Index Emerging technologies for the FoodTech sector The traditional operating model is no longer sufficient for food and beverage market participants in a rapidly changing environment. Technology is transforming into a completely new industry with a new operating model, in which innovation, human health, and sustainability play a crucial role. What is more, technology has become an indispensable ingredient, proven by growing investment. solutions aim to optimise and automate a range of processes in food manufacturing. This is especially convenient due to the food safety regulations that require transparency over the entire path of the food in supply chains. Using automated technologies, manufacturers can better monitor and regulate the quality of final food reaching the customers. AI-based chatbots installed in typical food-based mobile applications allow better connectivity between the providers and consumers. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For example, offers its customers more than 3,500 different drinks, and, naturally, the question arises as to how the corporation chooses which flavours to create. Before the advent of AI, the company conducted surveys, and now Coca-Cola maintains several soda vending machines. These fixtures allow consumers to create their beverages by mixing different Coca-Cola liquids. Hundreds of consumers made their drinks in each of these fountains, and the results were further explored using AI. Coca-Cola The adoption of in the FoodTech industry further complements the regulation activities by helping to control maintenance systems and conduct error-free operations. This also allows the remote management of these facilities with trickle-down effects seen in higher yield and lower food waste. IoT technology is useful when conducting analytics to boost business, reduce expenses, and research new market trends. When implementing Big Data, the right tools have allowed restaurant owners to gather customer data in real time and implement timely solutions. Knowing which products are making the most sales, what price range is accepted for the customers, and how the staff performance varies across departments — are some of the questions that can be answered through the use of Big Data technology. Some other housekeeping functions of Big-Data-powered software and hardware can allow producers to quickly correct potentially costly mistakes like replacing damaged products during transportation. Big Data The group of companies is actively applying solutions based on Big Data with different goals. One is the , which uses Big-Data software to process and analyse huge datasets from more than 170 locations all around the USA. In contrast, uses sensors, processing and analysing data to monitor product and environmental conditions during transportation. Cheesecake Factory FreshDirect The use of in tracing the journey of food products can also aid in reducing food wastage. Starting from inventory management and to the final shipment of products, one can find out where exactly a problem lies, if any. Blockchain technology One of the companies implementing this emerging technology is retail giant Walmart, which has used blockchain to track and trace lettuce supply chains, considered the next-generation food safety solution. The blockchain could track food delivery to the manufacturer in just 2.2 seconds. Walmart Usage of creative food images has become less important due to the introduction of in the food industry. This is replaced by a higher significance on the matter of transparency. Customers want to know what exactly goes into making their food products and how it will affect their health. Another aspect of this is cultural education. AR and VR-based technologies can help customers embrace new dishes. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR and VR) A wide range of FoodTech companies are using for marketing purposes and sales to increase their brand awareness. These are the new tools that can help producers further build their brand awareness campaigns and increase sales by introducing the digital product. The idea is to offer ownership over limited merchandise. On the one hand, the act of participating in digital auctions for an NFT can create excitement and generate buzz for the brand. On the other hand, NFT is bound to replace traditional merchandise with digital items coming ahead of physical goods. For example, Non-Fungible Token (NFT) technology Pringles announced the release of a new limited-edition flavour called “CryptoCrisp”. According to Food & Wine, only 50 “packages” of the new flavour were made, and they exist in the form of NFT artwork. In addition to these emerging technologies, direct distribution of food items is also a growing trend in the FoodTech industry. It leads to operational efficiency by providing a direct channel for brands to reach their customers. From mass-produced to specially made: the rise of personalization in the FoodTech sector Another big trend sweeping the FoodTech industry currently is the move towards personalisation. Several CPGs like Nestle and Mars are actively working on innovating their business models to facilitate the delivery of personalised food products. There is a growing demand for more personalised experiences in several leading world industries. Data collected by Forbes magazine suggests that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides personalised experiences. In comparison, 63% of consumers will stop buying from brands that use poor personalisation tactics. Although several companies have incorporated personalisation tactics into their brand identity, one area where this can be seen is the meal delivery kit offered primarily for the busy modern urbanites and tailored to meet their values. However, there are several roadblocks currently preventing the industry from implementing personalised solutions. For established corporations as well as start-ups, this requires a change in their business model and operations. Industrialisation means that facilities are geared up for low-cost mass-production, making it challenging to accommodate tailored offerings. Finding large-scale ways to meet these demands is a work in progress. Production and distribution facilities will need to be better adapted. After all, it is worth remembering that companies using innovative technological solutions will soon find themselves at the forefront of a lucrative multimillion dollar industry. What lies ahead: future industry landscape The way food is produced, delivered, and consumed all over the world is evolving rapidly. Adoption of new technologies and the emphasis on staying ahead of the changing times is key for transforming the FoodTech sector. Those brands that can find ways to leverage technology and move forward based on scientific, consumer, and market intelligence will be undoubtedly successful. A plethora of new technologies is helping the industry cater to the changing needs of people. Ensuring that operations are sustainable and cause minimum damage to the environment is still a major challenge. And with all the opportunities brought on by automation and digitalisation, it also brings increasing complexity in operations that need a more skilled workforce. Customers are now consuming healthy foods of better quality and are also interested in companies that make it a point to be transparent. They consider the labelling of ingredients a pivotal element. Among other factors, sustainable food industries can mitigate environmental problems by reducing nondegradable food packaging waste as well as minimising carbon dioxide emissions, among other things. Customers become more interested in sustainable food companies. An independent 2021 survey found that 78% of Americans would prefer to buy environmentally friendly products. Food safety and traceability are also a growing concern fuelled by customers increasingly thinking about the quality of food they consume. “We are after all what we eat”. Technologies like Blockchain and IoT allow real-time food monitoring, transparency, and end-to-end traceability. Jean Pougnier, CEO of Crop Enhancement, mentioned that “Traceability will expand beyond food safety and production methods to encompass aroma, flavour, texture, nutritional benefits and other aspects of food quality.” Through Big Data and NFT technologies, more advanced forms of marketing are now available to help owners of products keep track of quality by engaging global customers. More and more consumers are choosing online outlets over brick-and-mortar retailers, which has resulted in manufacturers selling their products on a platform that offers easy-to-use functionality to allow direct contact and relationship building between manufacturer and consumer. It would not be wrong to say, technology has had a substantial impact on the FoodTech industry. Personalisation is also shaping the landscape of food and beverage as “fit to measure” products become a go-to trend in all production. The new trend is called “food as a medicine”. This means that personalised nutrition is getting more and more popular. Now, companies can design products based on what their customers want to consume, they are focused on how to engage these customers and deliver them the experience they deserve. Undoubtedly, adapting to the consumer’s universe through personalisation is the key to success for brands. “It’s commanding the attention of the industry — the idea of using food as a way to prevent or even reverse disease. Our understanding of inflammation, obesity, and the human microbiome is allowing us to create solutions unheard of a decade ago”, said Oliver Katz, conference producer of the Future Food-Tech Summit. The emerging FoodTech sector has replaced the traditional food industry (including beverages and agriculture). Companies that fail to notice this transformation are bound to be left behind in the marketplace. The industry and consumers are eager to incorporate new ideas and practices, and I am confident that novel concepts such as 3D food and fully automated restaurants will soon become commonplace for us. The future will surely be an exciting place to eat! Article is also published on Medium: https://medium.com/foodtech-industry/using-innovation-to-feed-the-world-the-changing-landscape-of-the-foodtech-sector-51a0873d6c1d

Super Sizing Technology to Improve the Food Industry

Apples from New Zealand, Blueberries from Peru; fruits of the world found in supermarkets across Europe. The short answer is no. Not if we continue to ignore seasonal changes in food production. Not if we don't educate each other about seasonal varieties of food. Not if we are focused on fast access and high turnover products. If we want a more positive future, then full pictures of our food distribution systems are required and yes, blockchain technology can be utilised in assisting this mission. Our food chain supply is broken, can blockchain technology help us fix it? The UN projects that the world's population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050, which will cause global agricultural production to rise 69% between 2010 and 2050. The agricultural sector is one of the largest contributors to methane and carbon dioxide emissions and our eating habits have a direct impact on global issues such as hunger and climate change. With a third of all food produced wasted every year according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, with the right planning mechanisms in place to ensure more sustainable food distribution we can cut down on this waste. Just the other day a man pointed out that one of the local supermarkets was selling apples from New Zealand. Who cares I hear you say? Well although New Zealand is a fantastic country, it is over 26 hours away from this supermarket here in Ireland and we have apples of every variety growing around us at this time of the year. So why is it that we shop fruit from far-off places when it is available in the field next door? These are the questions that we need to start asking and answering. If we are ever going to tackle climate change we must assess the way we consume and how our behaviour is affecting the natural cycle of production around us. Blockchain technology can help to provide up-to-date information to food producers and consumers, allowing for more opportunities to address food limitations and demand in local markets. Many people talk about transparency when it comes to Blockchain applications. However, it's the divisibility and transferability that make it interesting for supply chain networks. If we have the ability to harness blockchain technology to make informed decisions related to food division, both producers and consumers can be rewarded. When the data flows correctly the consumer should receive the foods that are in demand and the producer can farm crops that will yield efficient returns at the right time of the year. There are three critical areas that must be addressed collectively if we are to tackle the problems with our food chains effectively. Policy It is our responsibility to the broader economy to develop frameworks aligned with our environmental commitments. Governments need to incentivise farmers to shape local food systems and incentivise large food corporations and popular grocery chains to buy locally, buy consciously and stock their shelves with a sustainable-first approach. Policies already exist so there are no excuses for not doing the research. France has shown leadership here with an ambitious public policy including a commitment to agroecology by 2025 where food production models change to It introduced legislation in 2016 requiring supermarkets to redistribute leftover food. Technology Technological innovation in farming is being pushed forward with smart agricultural practices and high-tech machines providing farming solutions. With blockchain technology, farmers can gather data about their crops and feed it into the blockchain. It would seem likely that this storage of information will be increasingly used to inform future food distribution policy and investment. Harnessing the power of technology will transform future food systems and supplies. We are already seeing this with some innovative blockchain projects. is creating a digital ecosystem focusing on price discovery and traceability, is a unique project focused on mapping natural biodiversity, harnessing the power of collective and provides economic benefits to farmers who drive regenerative land management. Tracking and delivering innovative land-use projects will play a key role in the future of our food systems. Grain Discovery Geoblocs Regen Network Investment The last and crucial component if we want to tackle the issue of sustainable food production is delivering impact investment that helps drive the innovation forward. Capital is required to support the above projects but also to demonstrate the value of investing in sustainable technology and infrastructure. The above three areas are an approach outlined in ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster’; "Markets, technology, and policy are like three levers we need to pull in order to wean ourselves from fossil fuels. We need to pull all three of them at the same time, in the same direction." Bill Gates. Without carefully stored data it is impossible to assess the level of demand for certain foods in certain locations. A recent highlighted a massive oversupply of hemp products in Nevada, forcing farmers to scale back in a saturated marketplace. To ensure sustainable production blockchain technology can be utilised to provide a proactive approach to using real-time data on food supplies. article The future of eating is a more conscious approach, considering the broader implications of our food supplies on global issues such as climate change and hunger. Through rigorous evaluation and a commitment to the advancements in blockchain technology, food distribution can strive to be more sustainable.

Reconstructing Our Food Supply Chains with Blockchain Technology

First part of this article: https://hackernoon.com/junk-food-whats-inside-it-107ar30zv 1. How Is Junk Food Getting Into Our Homes and Bellies? Advertising to children Advertising to children is widely regarded as ethically problematic. Young children cannot distinguish between advertising and editorial or entertainment content; and older children, even if they rationally understand the selling intent behind advertising, are often still subject to its emotional and unconscious influence Source: Marketing of Junk Food Junk food advertising, which is linked to increased child weight and obesity, sharpens this ethical issue, compounding it with health concerns. From three years of age, children recognise more unhealthy than healthy food brand logos. Source: Children are far from protected from junk food ads — especially on social media Stores' checkout lines . About 90% of food items located at checkouts are unhealthy About 90% of the items available are unhealthy, the paper states, with candy accounting for 40% of offerings. And though supermarkets, supercentres and convenience stores offer more snacks at checkouts, there are still plenty of unhealthy options at stores that sell toys, clothing, home and bath supplies, hardware, books, electronics and sporting goods. Many businesses may in fact be exploring ways to boost sales of snack foods at checkouts. Increasing checkout purchases in “power categories,” such as beverages and confectionary, by 1% could earn a store an extra US$15 350 a year, according to a recent study, Optimizing Checkstand Merchandising. Source: Call to reduce junk food at checkouts 2. What Problems Are Caused By Junk Food? - Fatigue - May lead to depression in teenagers - Impairs digestion - Causes fluctuations in blood sugar levels - Affects the brain function - Increases the risk of heart disease - Can cause kidney disease - Can damage your liver - Can cause type 2 diabetes - Increases your risk of canceretc. (the list goes on and on) (Source: 10 reasons junk food is bad for your health ) 3. How Long Would It Take To Burn off Your Dinner? 4. How To Avoid Junk Food? It is hard to break habits, but start with small steps. Here are some examples: A) Eat whole foods — that is, food that you could actually grow. A potato comes from the ground, an egg from a hen. But where did that Pop-tart come from? Berman says. Processing takes out nutrients such as antioxidants and fiber. “Unprocessed, whole foods will give you the most benefits,” What’s worse is that a lot of processed foods tend to sneak in things that aren’t necessary like extra sodium and sugar . (Source: How to Eat Healthy: 25 Easy Ways to Eat Healthier Every Day ) B) Cook at home more. Sure, you could inhale supper straight out of a bucket, but for a healthy meal, you need to invest at least a few minutes in chopping, rinsing or grilling. The result is worth the effort. “When you prepare dishes yourself, you can see which ingredients are going into it and make conscious choices about what you truly want to eat” (Source: How to Eat Healthy: 25 Easy Ways to Eat Healthier Every Day ). C) Eat with other people. We too often eat absent-mindedly. We don’t even notice that we’re distracted by the TV or computer or newspaper or the like. Eating with other people is fun and food is meant to be communal. The more you eat with other people, the more you’re going to engage with food and cook with and for other people. Because let’s face it, when you’re cooking, everyone congregates in the kitchen . (Source: 8 Simple Rules for Healthy Eating ) . D) Give yourself a break. Eating a healthy diet of pure, whole foods is hard work Be proud of what you’ve accomplished and try to not be so hard on yourself. Try to avoid treating any one food or ingredient like it’s evil. Experience dictates that total abstinence rarely works especially in the long run. And try not to judge what others eat. People are different. One person may have success with a style of eating that may wholly contradict the next person’s philosophy. It’s okay to enjoy occasional treats too, without fear and anxiety. Eat it mindfully and enjoy it openly. . (Source: 8 Simple Rules for Healthy Eating ) E) Choose fast-food restaurants that offer healthier choices. And no matter where you are, opt for food and beverages that are made up mostly of ingredients that provide nutrients along with calories. Enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice or a whole-wheat bagel instead of soda or donuts. Buy a bean burrito, pizza topped with vegetables, or a grilled chicken sandwich on a whole-grain bun instead of tortilla chips with processed cheese sauce; frozen pizza rolls; or fried chicken pieces and French fries. Avoid sweetened beverages . (Source: Junk-Food Facts ) F) Look for products low in sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, milled grains, and partially hydrogenated oils. Choose a 100% whole-wheat cracker made with canola oil, for example, or snack on a cheese and fruit plate instead of a bowl of cheese puffs . (Source: Junk-Food Facts ) G) Limit TV viewing, for yourself and your kids. Certain TV shows seem to attract more junk food commercials more than others, so parents might want to discourage kids from watching these shows. Or try TIVO (where you can fast-forward through commercials) or watch DVDs . (Source: Junk-Food Facts ) More resources to help your quest for healthy eating: - Simple Rules for Healthy Eating - 8 Simple rules for Healthy Eating Resources helpful to teach kids about healthy eating: If you want to prevent children from eating junk food, food science experiments are a good way for them to be involved in learning why: - 7 Food Science Experiments to promote healthy eating - Food Science Fair Projects 5. Technology Recommendations Technology can help you improve your health and eating habits. Here are my top six recommendations: - , which offers a website as well as Apple/Android apps to make checking a healthy score of any food items convenient. EWG’s Food Scores - The 10 Best Apps to Help You Eat Healthy and Lose Weight - Can technology get you to eat healthier? - Food for thought — how to use technology to eat healthy - 6 Technology Trends That are Changing How We Eat - Technology to Help Improve Nutrition and Promote Healthy Eating in New York City 6. Summary When I was preparing this article, I didn’t find anything surprising at the “classification” part as this information is readily shared nowadays, and yet, we still don’t have a lot of actions or solutions for it. It can be because our government systems are slow and cannot react quickly as seen with the . Canadian government in banning trans fats with a phased-out period of two years (thank you to my collaborator, Genny Marcoux for providing this info and article editing) It’s also possible not a lot of people cares or nobody is really in charge of promoting healthy food. Maybe it’s inside our brains and our main “reward system” that we got from our ancestors or lizards :) I hope that with spreading online tools and businesses that focused on healthy eating that we all become better and healthier people.

How Come Junk Food is Still An Epidemic?

Consumer trust is one of the biggest hurdles that the food industry is up against today. A recent uncovered a serious trust deficit between consumers and food manufacturers and suppliers, and we don’t have to look far to see why. Food and Health Survey In October 2018, J&J Snack Foods its Fit & Active sandwiches from Aldi stores due to potential contamination with listeria monocytogenes and salmonella. Less than a month later, grocery stores nationwide swiftly pulled romaine lettuce from their shelves after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to romaine consumption. That wasn’t romaine’s first run-in with E. coli that year, either. Between , the U.S. experienced its biggest E. coli outbreak in more than a decade, thanks to contaminated romaine. recalled linked widespread E. coli infections March and June Foodborne illness poses a serious health threat, yet most contaminations aren’t discovered and tracked down until long after tainted products make their way onto consumers’ tables. Case in point: In the two months it took the CDC to trace the source of the March-June E. coli outbreak, across 36 states were infected and five people died. 210 people It’s no wonder consumers are skeptical of food companies. Regaining their trust in the wake of massive outbreaks such as these won’t be easy, but companies can create visibility for consumers by embedding into the current supply chain. blockchain technology Bringing Blockchain to the Table Many of us understand blockchain in the context of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, but the use cases for this technology span much further than digital coins. Blockchain is a distributed ledger: Every time a member executes a transaction, it creates a digitized record of that transaction that cannot be manipulated. There’s one single source of truth in blockchain technology, and that is crucial for the food industry. Through the blockchain, consumers can trace what farm harvested their avocados and shippers can see whether a carrier is at capacity before scheduling deliveries. When it comes to preventing, monitoring, and resolving food contamination, companies can consult the digital ledger to instantly trace the source and determine which merchants were affected. Walmart is one institution that’s betting on blockchain to protect its customers and build trust. Walmart built a food-safety blockchain solution to instantly track the origins of various products from . Walmart has mandated that by , all suppliers of leafy greens are required to have their data uploaded to the blockchain. pork to mangoes September 2019 To integrate blockchain technology to boost consumer trust and drive innovation on a companywide level, food industry C-suite leaders should utilize these tips: Leverage IoT, AI, and Blockchain Together and artificial intelligence have reached buzzword status in the past few years, but they’re in expanding blockchain technology in the food industry. IoT devices can automate accurate data collection, blockchain technology can secure the wealth of data in an immutable ledger, and AI tools can comb that data for insights that companies can then publicize to deliver on consumer transparency expectations. The Internet of Things crucial components To illustrate, let’s say Company A uses an IoT device to detect which pesticides were used to grow its leafy greens. The device would then store that data directly in the blockchain database. Company A could then leverage AI to organize the data into bite-size insights for health-conscious consumers. When consumers know that this information is verified on the blockchain, it paints the company in a more honest light. Eliminate Human Error When humans completely own and operate the supply chain, it’s easy to miss or ignore red flags that ultimately jeopardize consumers’ health. Using IoT sensors and AI together, companies can predict problems with maintenance, refrigeration, and other machine-driven manufacturing processes. Automated systems can detect anomalies such as equipment failure and can make decisions immediately. Companies can also use these technologies to identify and resolve potential problems — . For instance, Company A could set up a smart contract within its blockchain network to automatically deploy an alert if pesticide use exceeds limits and renders the product unsafe for consumption. before they occur While humans may miss important alerts or decide to deliver spoiled products in favor of profit, blockchain-based automation — combined with AI and IoT — can offer a higher level of safety for consumers. Create a Culture of Safety With greater transparency comes greater responsibility. Implementing blockchain across the supply chain will make it easier for consumers to check the quality of products before they make purchases, which holds food companies more accountable. So when implementing blockchain, company leaders must also prioritize cultivating a culture of food safety among their employees. learned this lesson the hard way after coming under fire for multiple food-safety incidents a few years ago. Consumers in the U.S. and Canada reported cases of foodborne illness after consuming Chipotle, ultimately resulting in and . Finally, company leaders took matters into their own hands by enacting plans to on food-safety best practices. Chipotle class-action lawsuits profit loss retrain employees Conclusion Blockchain holds the promise of transforming the food industry — but first, companies need to embrace this innovative technology. By using key technologies in conjunction with blockchain, automating checks and balances, and instilling a strong culture of accountability among employees, leaders can enable the transparency needed to rebuild consumer trust in the food industry. <a href="https://medium.com/media/3c851dac986ab6dbb2d1aaa91205a8eb/href">https://medium.com/media/3c851dac986ab6dbb2d1aaa91205a8eb/href</a>

Using Blockchain Innovation to Rebuild Trust in the Food Industry

Food safety has haunted China over the decade, from the 2008 Chinese milk scandal where milk formula is adulterated with melamine to the 2014 tainted meat scandal when expired meat is supplied to fast-food joints such as KFC and Mcdonald’s. China’s size and population and lack of regulations has made fake food an even more pervasive problem than other country. Despite the Chinese citizens being wary of it, many are still passive about the solutions. An example of the food supply chain. Source: CBINSIGHTS Supply Chain in the food industry is surprisingly complex and involves multiple change of hands. Many areas can go wrong but predominantly most problems occur in two area: food processing and distribution. In unregulated environments such as rural areas of China, unscrupulous suppliers are known to take shortcuts such as adding adulterants to be more cost-competitive as well as create more appealing products. The mishandling of food during distribution is another area of concern, including temperature discrepancies during transportation and poor hygiene practices. As such, Chinese food producers are adopting technological innovations to prove the value of their product and regain confidence among consumers. The advent of IoT and is set to empower the Chinese consumer the ability to track and understand the provenance of their food by providing the following abilities: Blockchain Creates an audit trail of transactions from farmers and food processing firms to consumers Provide transparency and visibility in the farming, handling and distribution process Collect previously untapped data to carry out analytics to improve farming methods Smart contract enforces contractual terms and accountability among parties involved. Food producers who actively promote the provenance of their produce are giving themselves a competitive edge and validating a price premium over similar products. By weaving technology into their produce, it enhances their credibility of social elements such as organic or free-range and builds reputation and brand loyalty among consumers. A crate of oranges being scanned as part of a food safety blockchain pilot test. Source: IBM In 2016, Walmart launched its Food Safety Collaboration Center in Beijing in collaboration with IBM and Tsinghua University to improve the tracking of food using blockchain technology. A conducted in May 2017 traced the origins of a package of mango in 2.2 seconds; this would take 6 days and 18 hours using traditional methods. In late 2017, the collaboration expanded to include JD.com, forming the Blockchain Food Safety Alliance that aimed to achieve greater transparency across the food supply chain. traceability test “By recording the identity of those who input the data into the chain, the technology removes the anonymity that has help food-fraud to thrive” said Yiannas, Wal-Mart’s vice-president for food safety and health. 1. “The wonderful journey of the beef.” 2. The steak’s serial number and 64-digit alphanumeric code referring to the transaction. 3. The farm that raised the cow was indexed as 1556. 4. The section of the cow, where it was processed, and its package date. 5. The Simmental cow was three years old and fed a diet of corn, wheat, and straw. Na Qin was the vet that tended to it. 6. It was slaughtered on July 2, and the steak was packaged on July 5 in Tongliao city in Inner Mongolia. 7. It was put in the storage house on July 11. 8. The steak went through a series of tests to check whether it was contaminated with certain bacteria, and if the meat had good water content. Source: Quartz JD.com, China’s second largest ecommerce platform has been exploring the capabilities of blockchain in empowering food producers to provide information about their produce. Their most recent venture with Kerchin, an Inner Mongolia-based beef manufacturer, allowed consumers to track the production and delivery of frozen beef. Recorded on the blockchain, information such as the cow’s breed, weight and diet as well as the farm location can be retrieved by scanning the QR code on the package. More than 10 brands from the alcohol, tea and pharmaceutical industry have joined this blockchain project since December 2017. Left to Right: IoT, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Anti-counterfeit Intelligence. Source: iFeng News (凤凰网) ZhongAn Technology, the tech subsidiary of Chinese Insurtech giant ZhongAn Online, has built a blockchain-powered platform to track the whole process of chicken farming. In partnership with Wopu, a IoT company in Hangzhou, IoT-enabled anklets are attached to chickens and every aspect of their lives are tracked, from the age and distance walked to the slaughterhouse and logistic providers employed. All data are recorded in the blockchain and viewable to the consumers from a mobile application. Data collected from the anklets also allow farmers to carry out analytics and improve their rearing methods; a significant breakthrough in farming technology was never possible until the popularization of IoT. Alibaba recent blockchain project with PricewaterhouseCoopers and food suppliers in Australia and New Zealand to provide greater product integrity at its platform is evident of the growing popularity of blockchain to improve food safety. Another company that is worth mentioning is , a food catering company that attempts to improve food safety through blockchain initiatives. By deploying a blockchain network into every point of its supply chain system (production, procurement, logistics) and incentivizing suppliers through the issuance of its own - Sharecoin, KaoPu hopes to attract potential suppliers to join the network and form an ecosystem of trust and food safety. KaoPu (Kao铺) cryptocurrency Moving ahead With Mckinsey & Company forecasting China’s middle-class to , its growing consumer class is demanding for higher quality produce and better food safety. A research from Pew Research Center in 2016 reports that 40% of the Chinese publics sees safety of food as ‘a very big problem’, . A 2015 survey on a pork producer in Jiangsu found out that the annual revenue of farmers, meat producers and retailers increased by 38.2%, 28.6% and 33.2% respectively since the implementation of a . As China head towards a “Quality Revolution”, organically-grown produce and ‘traceable’ food will see an increasing demand from consumers who are less price-sensitive and more health-conscious. hit 550 million by 2022 up from 12% in 2008 traceability system Food giants such as Walmart and JD.com have achieved notable success in the deployment of blockchain and IoT due to their scale and investments in R&D; but the same cannot be said for smaller food retailers who lack the resources and capability. Nonetheless, China has been beefing up its regulations and implementing strategies to help these food producers and retailers. The revision of the in late 2015 imposed stricter controls and supervision on the production and handling of food. In October 2017, China’s State Council released a set of guidelines on promoting innovation to establish a smart supply chain that covers major industries by 2020. Coupled with the rapid commercialization of IoT and blockchain in China, it is without a doubt that we will see a lower cost of adoption of these technologies in the coming years. Food Safety Law Blockchain and IoT is set to disrupt major industries worldwide and the food industry would undoubtedly be part of the technological wave. As China leads the world in improving food safety, countries worldwide ought to adopt a learning or perhaps, a ‘copycat’ mindset as the tables are now turned. … Hi all! I’m a student on a exchange programme and currently interning in Shanghai! Also a Tech enthusiast, I am overwhelmed and excited about the tech advancements in China. As such, I’m writing the latest tech happenings in China.** Please comment and let me know where I can improve on in my writings. Thanks!**

Perfecting Food Safety: How China does it with IoT and Blockchain

As part of my series “ , and follow-up from my previous post on Cloud Computing & Golem, which you can find , I will be discussing how the Food Traceability industry will be disrupted by the emergence of the blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Real World Applications of Cryptocurrencies” here Coincidentally, after I had started writing this post, I attended a steak course, where the Chef was criticizing how hard it is to find out exactly where beef has come from, how it’s butchered, whether it’s organic etc. — a perfect example for the need of food traceability. Food Traceability— TE-FOOD (TFOOD) Food traceability is probably something you never thought of before but something extremely important for your health. Regardless, there are a number of issues in this sector and especially in emerging markets, which are also major exporters of food. Some of these issues include: — I cannot stress enough, how severe the social and economic impact is, from lack of food safety. Foodborne diseases are accountable for the hospitalization of 700 million people and 400,000 deaths worldwide annually. Additionally, according to a by the Ohio State University, the average cost of foodborne illness was estimated at $55.5 billion, in the USA alone. Food Safety study — Using antibiotics in agriculture has many benefits; they promote growth and are essential for treating infections in animals. However, antibiotics are being overused and in many cases, used as part of intensive farming to prevent infections and speed up growth. This has given rise to antibiotic resistance, leading to new “superbugs” which are ingested by humans during food consumption. These “superbugs” can cause infections in humans that can lead to adverse health consequences. Researchers worldwide have been warning farmers to dramatically reduce the amount of antibiotics used in agriculture, in order to avoid a crisis. You can find a brilliant post by the UK’s National Health Service article explaining the problem . Antibiotics here **Mistrust & Fraud—**Food supply chain companies, authorities and consumers have no way of confirming how each operate. There isn’t truly a way to prove this, which could lead to mistrust and deceit. Additionally, food fraud has a significant global economic cost to the food industry. the economic impact is estimated to be in the region of ~$40 billion annually. According to PwC — According to a report from , the food industry is one of the most unequal sectors within the USA economy, and this is echoed globally. Just to give you an example, CEO’s of fast food chains can earn 1,000 times more than their average worker. This not only hurts the under-paid workers, but also shareholders. Economic Inequality public policy group Demos Enter . TE-FOOD TE-FOOD is a successful farm-to-table livestock and fresh food traceability solution, focusing on emerging markets. Since 2016, TE-FOOD has been implemented in Vietnam. As a farm-to-table solution, TE-FOOD tracks the items through the whole supply chain (farm, slaughterhouse, wholesaler, retailer) and provides tools to both consumers and authorities to gain food history and food quality insights. TE-FOOD is an existing company that has been established in Vietnam since 2016. It currently serves over 6000 business customers, tracking 12,000 pigs, 200,000 chickens, and 2.5 million eggs daily. TE-FOOD has created a ecosystem in which each step in the food supply chain can be tracked. centralized However, according to their . The solution to this, is introducing the . By moving the TE-FOOD ecosystem on the blockchain, TE-FOOD will be able to provide a completely transparent, unmodifiable environment (and tools) for food supply chain companies, authorities and consumers. whitepaper “even data coming from a third party like existing traceability system seems suspicious to the participant” blockchain A general diagram of the food supply chain in the TE-FOOD ecosystem The diagram above is just a general representation of the food supply chain. Within the TE-FOOD ecosystem, this can be further customized for specific uses cases. TE-FOOD focuses on solving the issues discussed in the previous section, in the following ways: —By moving the TE-FOOD ecosystem on the blockchain, it brings complete transparency and trust between all “stakeholders” of the food supply chain. For example, authorities can track & confirm whether farms are following correct practices. Consumers can immediately find out how their product was sourced, transported, slaughtered and much more. Farmers can avoid double vaccinations and overuse of antibiotics. The advantages of a transparent food supply chain are endless. Transparency & Immutability — Authorities have the ability to introduce & enforce control points in the food supply chain. This means a product needs to have fulfilled certain criteria before moving onto the next part of the chain. Controls — Sophisticated algorithms will analyze data and alarm relevant authorities if there are signs of an epidemic outbreak. Since the data is transparent and valid, it will be easier to track the root cause and prevent it from spreading faster than the current means. Forecasts and Analysis — Governments and institutions providing grants and tax-relief will have an easier and more accurate way of determining who are entitled to these. Additionally, conscious consumers will have the ability to “support” developing countries easier. Fair Trade —Participants in the food supply chain will be able to view & rate other counter-parties. This will promote good practices and deter bad actors. Supply Chain Rating How are the TFOOD Tokens used? The TFOOD Token has a multitude of applications; it is used in the TE-FOOD ecosystem in the following ways: Execute traceability transactions by paying with TFOOD. Used to exchange “paid” information (i.e. the type of antibiotics) between supply chain companies. Get rewarded with TFOOD by using the TE-FOOD consumer mobile application in retail. Purchase food quality analysis services. Rate supply chain companies that they have “interacted” with. How the TFOOD Tokens are used in the TE-FOOD Ecosystem I would also like to point out that TE-FOOD has a number of competitors in the supply chain area. Similar projects include (AMB), (MOD), , (WABI) and (WTC). If you would like to see a post comparing and contrasting these projects, feel free to drop me a comment below or a tweet. Ambrosus Modum Provenance WaBi Walton TE-FOOD has not launched their token yet. You can only purchase TFOOD Tokens during their Initial Coin Offering (ICO) which is dated for the 22nd of February. You can sign-up for their ICO . here Make sure you give the post a and my blog a if you enjoyed this post and want to see more. clap follow You can also show your support by donating here: : 395JpxqaQLVYP2cP4uVMDBPPArdtdKBfZk : 181FSPLrFWVK3Tpfmev678pLrUa2KPeoFh : LgJw5vJo2ExXFTQaWuLJVbRtqDiscXNG7U : 0x4c7195E074cf0Ab6F77Bdb7C97Fd2567066Bb712 : Af1igVZ5GP6VDBE1MWdM9ovSeVq7wCs3zA : QNRFWZROPTRTZRGOYGAPXCKOFMNANIZIMYJASSDEMUIGZXUSB9EYDAJM9EFDGZZDOGOBQPTGRCLQIXPAI BTC BCH LTC ETH NEO/GAS IOTA Disclaimer : All information and data on this blog post is for informational purposes only . 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