Blockchain for Agri-Food Supply Chain and Logistics Management

Today, the globalization of the supply chain in the food industry has surged remarkably; hence, food safety and quality certification have become critical. Blockchain is recognized as a promising technology in the agri-foods industry where it can act as a systematic and robust mechanism for increasing the food traceability and provide a transparent and efficient way to assure quality, safety, and sustainability of agri-foods. By lowering the cost and increasing value, this digital technology has the potential to increase profitability of agricultural produce along the value chain. This chapter aims to investigate the potential utilization of blockchain technology in the agri-food industry, where it can be used to address issues of trust and transparency and to facilitate sharing of information sharing among stakeholders. The technology is still in a preliminary stage; thus, this chapter is written to examine its implication in the agri-food supply chain, existing initiatives, challenges, and potential.

Advances in fingerprint and rapid methods for improved traceability in agri-food supply chains

Agri-food supply and value chain markets have become increasingly complex due to the changes in consumers demands, the development of complex food standards associated with food safety and quality, advances in technology (e.g. big data, machine learning), and changes in the food industry structure. However, recent issues related to food authenticity, adulteration, fraud, mislabelling, traceability and provenance have added a new dimension to consumers’ concerns, and food industry and regulatory bodies worldwide. The incorporation of sensing technologies combined with data analytics, are determining a paradigm shift in the way food ingredients and foods are both evaluated and monitored. This chapter discusses the utilisation of data analytics and sensing technologies to address issues related with food authenticity, adulteration, fraud, traceability and provenance in the food supply and value chains. In particular, this chapter will focus on the use of rapid analytical methods based in vibrational spectroscopy in combination with data analytics.

Global Seafood Trade: Insights in Sustainability Messaging and Claims of the Major Producing and Consuming Regions

Seafood supply chains are complex, not least in the diverse origins of capture fisheries and through aquaculture production being increasingly shared across nations. The business-to-business (B2B) seafood trade is supported by seafood shows that facilitate networking and act as fora for signaling of perceptions and values. In the Global North, sustainability related certifications and messaging have emerged as an important driver to channel the demands of consumers, institutions, and lead firms. This study investigates which logos, certifications, and claims were presented at the exhibitor booths within five seafood trade shows in China, Europe, and USA. The results indicate a difference in the way seafood is advertised. Messaging at the Chinese shows had less of an emphasis on sustainability compared to that in Europe and the USA, but placed a greater emphasis on food safety and quality than on environmental concerns. These findings suggest cultural differences in the way seafood production and consumption is communicated through B2B messaging. Traders often act as choice editors for final consumers. Therefore, it is essential to convey production processes and sustainability issues between traders and the market. An understanding of culture, messaging strategies, and interpretation could support better communication of product characteristics such as sustainability between producers, traders, and consumers.

Consumer Trust in Food and the Food System: A Critical Review

Increased focus towards food safety and quality is reshaping food purchasing decisions around the world. Although some food attributes are visible, many of the attributes that consumers seek and are willing to pay a price premium for are not. Consequently, consumers rely on trusted cues and information to help them verify the food quality and credence attributes they seek. In this study, we synthesise the findings from previous research to generate a framework illustrating the key trust influencing factors that are beyond visual and brand-related cues. Our framework identifies that consumer trust in food and the food system is established through the assurances related to individual food products and the actors of the food system. Specifically, product assurance builds consumer trust through food packaging labels communicating food attribute claims, certifications, country or region of origin, and food traceability information. In addition, producers, processors, and retailers provide consumers with food safety and quality assurances, while government agencies, third-party institutions, advocacy groups, and the mass media may modify how labelling information and food operators are perceived by consumers. We hope our framework will guide future research efforts to test these trust factors in various consumer and market settings.

Food Security in Ghanaian Urban Cities: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Urbanisation in Ghana could be negatively impacting the state of food security, especially in economically vulnerable groups. Food supply, safety, and quality are all aspects of food security which could be impacted. We conducted a scoping literature review to understand the nature and magnitude of evidence available on the urban food security situation in Ghana. A literature search was conducted in Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, Web of Science, Africa Wide Information and Google Scholar to identify relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature. 45 studies, mainly cross-sectional surveys/food samples analysis, met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were concentrated in the Greater Accra Region (n = 24). Most studies focused on food safety and quality (n = 31). Studies on supply and stability were, however, scarce. Qualitative research methods were uncommon in the included studies. The existing literature on food security are concentrated in two regions: The Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. Future studies exploring food security in urban Ghana should focus on exploring the lived experiences and perceptions of food insecurity and food stability by urban-dwellers using qualitative methods. The evidence suggesting that the safety/quality of foods sold in Ghanaian markets is poor should be a concern to consumers and policy makers.

Formation of multi-species biofilms and their resistance to disinfectants in food processing environments: A review

In food processing environments, various microorganisms can adhere and aggregate on the surface of equipment, resulting in the formation of multi-species biofilms. Complex interactions among microorganisms may affect the formation of multi-species biofilms and their resistance to disinfectants, which are food safety and quality concerns. This paper reviews the various interactions among microorganisms in multi-species biofilms, including competitive, cooperative and neutral interactions. Then, the preliminary mechanisms underlying the formation of multi-species biofilms are discussed in relation to factors, such as quorum sensing (QS) signal molecules, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and biofilm-regulated genes. Finally, the resistance mechanisms of common contaminating microorganisms to disinfectants in food processing environments are also summarized. This review is expected to facilitate a better understanding of inter-species interactions, and provide some implications for the control of multi-species biofilms in food processing.

Study of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) Handling and Storage Process in Palm Oil Mills in an Effort to Improve CPO Quality and Reduce the Risk of Contaminants Formation

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is palm oil obtained from the extraction or compression process of oil palm fruit flesh and has not been purified. Palm oil is usually used for food, cosmetic industry, chemical industry, and animal feed industry. Increasingly open insight and increasing consumer awareness of the importance of food safety and quality assurance supported by technological developments and laboratory analysis methods, new types of contaminants in food products are also found. Currently, the Indonesian government is facing challenges regarding the issue of 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol ester (3-MCPD Ester) and glycidyl ester (GE) in palm oil which can hamper Indonesia's palm oil trade in the future. The practice in the field affects the quality of CPO and the retrieval of low-quality CPO is mixed with high-quality CPO. And the length of time the process of pumping CPO from reclaimed tanks to VCT affects the quality of CPO. So this study aims to modify the pumping time and storage time of CPO from Reclaimed tanks to VCT by mixing samples from VCT (fresh CPO) and samples from Reclaimed tanks (lower quality CPO).