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Is it fresh. Keeping it fresh digitally

Project description

Sensor technology for monitoring food quality

A significant amount of food waste results from inefficient logistics, improper storage and transport. However, actual monitoring during these stages is still missing. As such, the entire food value chain needs reliable monitoring concerning the manufacturing date, temperature, and additional biochemical parameters providing the freshness status in real time. The EU-funded Is it fresh project proposes a wireless sensor technology that allows affordable food freshness data on a single packaging unit scale. The technology will provide each partner in the food value chain with wirelessly accessible data concerning the product’s current freshness status, origin, and transport logs. In addition, it will allow the end customer to address the sensors via a fridge or smart shelf.

Objective

Roughly 1/3 of produced food is wasted globally. A significant amount of this waste is a result of inefficient logistics of food and perishables in general. In addition to the issue of food waste, the food industry around the globe is regularly hit by various food scandals, also often caused by improper storage or logistics.
For example, cold chain is often broken in transit by transportation companies to save costs by switching off refrigeration.
To overcome this issue, one requires low-cost tracking capabilities to enable all the participants along the food value chain, from manufacturers to logistic companies, retailers, and customers, to monitor the product freshness. Among the monitored parameters, there shall be not only manufacturing date and the temperature but also additional biochemical parameters providing the product's freshness status in real time. Nowadays, a product often spends most of its lifetime in transit or storage, actual monitoring during these stages is still missing though.

Is it fresh wireless sensor technology will enable affordable food freshness data on a single packaging unit scale. Every package will be able to report its freshness status for the product inside in real time. This will provide each partner in the food value chain with unique and wirelessly accessible data about product's current freshness status as well as origin and transport logs. In addition, it will give the end customer a valuable insight into the freshness status of their food products, for example, by addressing the sensors via a fridge or smart shelf. We have a contract in place with The willingness to pay is guaranteed by a contract with a major packaging company (you are using their products on a daily basis more likely than not), in which after our product is market ready, they are obliged to equip 5% of their production with freshtags – up to 10% if they want to keep us in exclusivity. This would mean up to 3 billion units of freshtags annually.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

IS IT FRESH GMBH
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 347 157,00
Address
DENNEWARTSTRASSE 25 TECHNOLOGIEZENTRUM AM EUROPAPLATZ
52068 AACHEN
Germany

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Städteregion Aachen
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 924 510,00
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