To help answer these questions, Barilla, an Italian pasta manufacturer, in collaboration with US technology giant Cisco Systems[1]<\/sup><\/a>, is equipping its products with a digital passport[2]<\/sup><\/a> capturing entire food journey from \u201cfield to fork\u201d. By scanning a QR code on the package[3]<\/sup><\/a>, the consumer is able to access the information stored on the \u201cSafety 4 Food[4]<\/sup><\/a>\u201d cloud platform and learn about the field where the durum wheat was grown, the plant where it was transformed and packaged, as well as the journey it took to the store\u2019s shelf. Barilla stated intent is not only to enhance transparency and safety, but also to create a connection between the consumers, the people and the regions where their food was produced, hence fostering awareness and understanding of the social and environmental implications of food production standards and consumer choices. Moreover, the system acts as an effective tool to fight counterfeit products, an issue estimated to represent as much as 10% of the total grocery market[5]<\/sup><\/a>. Barilla\u2019s solution is for the moment only in pilot phase but, if successful, it could lead the way to a revolution within the industry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trace it like it\u2019s hot<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n Over the last few years, food traceability has become a \u201chot topic\u201d. On one hand, recent scandals involving incorrect labeling, such as the horsemeat issue at Tesco in 2013[6]<\/sup><\/a>, have tarnished the industry\u2019s image and made consumers acutely aware of the issue, triggering a strong demand for more transparency and quality checking.<\/p>\n On the other hand, governments and health organizations have become increasingly aware of the public health risk posed by ever-more entangled supply chain networks, and by food production standards that can vary widely from region to region. And if it is true that food safety issues remain rare, their potential impact in today\u2019s world could be devastating.<\/p>\n Finally, the industry calculates that food recalls and foodborne illnesses bears an annual price tag of $77 billion, mostly consisting of discarded products, loss of revenue and healthcare costs[7]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n No wonder then that governments have tightened the regulation around food production practices and traceability. The FDA, for instance, has passed in 2011 the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), aiming at shifting the focus from responding to contaminations to preventing it[8]<\/sup><\/a>, and traceability is an important component of the overall strategy.<\/p>\n Food traceability systems, such as the one offered by the Food 4 Safety platform, provide hence substantial benefits to all stakeholders, including consumers, governments and business, in terms of:<\/p>\n But the Internet of Things is expected to provide much more than just information about the origin and journey of our food: sensors disseminated all along the supply chain are expected to continuously monitor a set of key indicators such as temperature, light exposure and jostling experienced by products. Such information, recorded on the cloud, will be available to manufacturers, fleet managers, retailers, and end consumers alike[10]<\/sup><\/a>, to allow for corrective actions and informed purchasing decision<\/p>\n Time to scale up?<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the great success of its pilot project conducted in connection with the 2015 Milan Expo, Barilla has not set a timeline for the full-scale deployment of its technology[11]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n This is a pity, as the solution would not only deliver substantial value to consumers and regulators, but also serve as an extremely powerful marketing tool for Barilla, helping it to differentiate its products by delivering a strong message on the quality, social and cultural relevance and sustainability of its products and supply chain.<\/p>\n Given the importance of the food industry in Italy and in Europe, the development of food traceability systems leveraging IoT needs to become an absolute strategic priority for governments and companies across the continent. Only this will allow companies such as Barilla, focused on quality and social responsibility, to set high standards for the entire food industry of tomorrow.<\/p>\n [Word count: 800]<\/p>\n [1]<\/sup><\/a> \u201cFrom the Ground to the Grocer, Barilla Makes Use of Cisco\u2019s Internet of Everything to Give Consumers Insight into the Journey of Their Food\u201d, Cisco Systems Press Release<\/i><\/em> (San Jos\u00e9, CA , Sept. 16, 2015)<\/p>\n [2]<\/sup><\/a> Jeffrey Castillo, \u201cTraceability Across the Entire Food Supply Chain\u201d, Agriculture Technology Summit 2016<\/i><\/em> (Champaign, IL, Feb. 18, 2016)<\/p>\n [3]<\/sup><\/a> Steve Rogerson, \u201cItalian pasta maker Barilla uses IoT to provide supply chain visibility\u201d, imc<\/i><\/em>, \u00a0September 29, 2015, http:\/\/www.iotm2mcouncil.org\/barbasil<\/a>, accessed Nov. 16, 2016<\/p>\n [4]<\/sup><\/a> \u201cCisco and Barilla Partnership: Embracing IoT to Give Consumers Insights Into The Journey of Their Food\u201d, Cisco Systems Press Release<\/i><\/em>, November 17, 2015, \u00a0http:\/\/www.penelopeonline.it\/downloads\/rassegnapdf\/Cisco-Barilla%20Partnership_17Nov2015.pdf<\/p>\n [5]<\/sup><\/a> \u201cThe big cash in counterfeit food: why you might not be eating what you think you’re eating\u201d, \u00a0Brent Bambury, Day 6<\/i><\/em>, CBC Radio<\/i><\/em>, April 1, 2016, http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/day6\/episode-279-playing-ball-on-grass-vs-turf-taytweets-big-fail-narco-subs-fake-food-and-more-1.3514966\/the-big-cash-in-counterfeit-food-why-you-might-not-be-eating-what-you-think-you-re-eating-1.3515053<\/p>\n [6]<\/sup><\/a> Felicity Lawrence, \u201cHorsemeat scandal: where did the 29% horse in your Tesco burger come from?\u201d, The Guardian<\/i><\/em>, Oct. 22, 2013, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2013\/oct\/22\/horsemeat-scandal-guardian-investigation-public-secrecy<\/a>, accessed Nov 16, 2016<\/p>\n [7]<\/sup><\/a> Lorbiecki, M., The race to trace: the need for traceability in the food & beverage industry\u201d, Food Manufacturing, <\/i><\/em>Apr 26, 2016, http:\/\/search.proquest.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu\/docview\/1784422806?accountid=11311<\/a>, accessed on Nov. 16, 2016<\/p>\n [8]<\/sup><\/a> FDA, \u201cFood Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)<\/i><\/em>\u201d, http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/Food\/GuidanceRegulation\/FSMA\/<\/a>, accessed on Nov. 16, 2016<\/p>\n [9]<\/sup><\/a> Xiaorong, Honghui, \u201cThe Design of the IoT Solution for Food Supply Chain\u201d, 5th International Conference on Education, Management, Information and Medicine (EMIM) <\/i><\/em>(Shenyang, China, April 24-26, 2015)<\/p>\n [10]<\/sup><\/a> James Andrews, \u201cHow the \u2018Internet of Things\u2019 Will Impact Food Safety\u201d, Food Safety News, \u00a0June 12, 2015, http:\/\/www.foodsafetynews.com\/2015\/06\/how-the-internet-of-things-will-impact-food-safety\/#.WCurxcmbipU<\/a>, accessed Nov. 16 2016<\/p>\n [11]<\/sup><\/a> Hannah L. Walters, \u201cHow Far are we from Tracing Every Food Item?\u201d, Food+City,<\/i><\/em> November 19, 2015, http:\/\/www.foodandcity.org\/digital\/tracing<\/a>, accessed Nov. 16 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How Barilla is creating “digital passports” for each of its product to improve safety, communicate quality and raise awareness about sustainable farming among its consumers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2561,"featured_media":15162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[2150,33,2019,2149],"class_list":["post-15156","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barilla","category-food","category-internet-of-things","category-traceability"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/digitization-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\n![\"figure-1\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Figure-1-8-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0 Figure <\/em>1: example of product carrying a \u201cSafety 4 Food\u201d QR code<\/p>\n\n
![\"figure-2\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Figure-2-7-1024x562.jpg\")
<\/a>Figure 2<\/em>: picture of a food supply chain in the era of the Internet-of-Things[9]<\/b><\/strong><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n![\"figure-3\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Figure-3-1-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a>Figure 3<\/em>: screen showing the food journey at Milan’s Expo 2015<\/p>\n