Food traceability can beat food counterfeiting

With counterfeiting on the increase in food industry, traceability can be the opportunity that producers and consumers are waiting for a long time. Traceability new technology can defend Italian products by guaranteeing the origin and the quality. 

According to Coldiretti, Italian fruit and vegetable value chain needs to be redesigned. In particular, the actual structure can no longer bear distribution cost that are twice as high as its main rival Spain, even if the producer costs in the two countries are the same.

How traceability can fight the counterfeiting

Consumers’ demands for quality products and better food, which is a good sign for high quality Italian products market if it were not for counterfeiting.

An important case of counterfeiting happened in 2010, when 115 million kg of tomato purée (about 15% of annual production in Italy) were imported from China with no quality guarantee and were used for sauces then exported as Italian product because prepared in that country.

The University of Bologna has begun an international research project on food traceability to improve the supply chain. In particular, new wireless technologies should speed things up: the system can track all the chain from production to consumption, provides the necessary geo-positioning information and ensures also the cold chain without stops. The major supermarkets are leading the way to processor, producers and transportation to introduce the new wireless technologies.

For more information about wireless technologies for food traceability read Italian products gain from food traceability.