Scoping Study for a Global Food Security Information Architecture
Lead Research Organisation:
Nottingham Trent University
Department Name: Business School
Abstract
This scoping project will bring together the necessary stakeholders to explore how to form a Global Food Security Information Architecture (GFSIA) to support secure, transparent and frictionless trade across international food routes and supply chains.
First, we will identify the essential and relevant stakeholders needed to explore this challenge and we will secure their commitment to the next phase of research. This new network will be multi-disciplinary and will bring together food regulators; standards and certification bodies; distributors; associated industries such as engineering, packaging, analytical sciences, finance and legal, and include the small producers who contribute to a secure food supply.
We will complete a state-of-the-art review of how blockchain/distributed ledgers technologies could support GFSIA. Additionally, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has technological capability that could be applied and so contribute to the growth of social and economic infrastructures across the UK. This scoping project will identify which STFC capabilities could potentially offer solutions that might address the stakeholder priorities in a GFSIA.
The outcomes of this project will include stakeholder maps for GFSIA and a report setting out state-of-the-art in applying blockchain/distributed ledger technology to food supply chains. The report will also set out the stakeholder priorities and produce an overview on what other technological capabilities could contribute to solutions in this research.
First, we will identify the essential and relevant stakeholders needed to explore this challenge and we will secure their commitment to the next phase of research. This new network will be multi-disciplinary and will bring together food regulators; standards and certification bodies; distributors; associated industries such as engineering, packaging, analytical sciences, finance and legal, and include the small producers who contribute to a secure food supply.
We will complete a state-of-the-art review of how blockchain/distributed ledgers technologies could support GFSIA. Additionally, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has technological capability that could be applied and so contribute to the growth of social and economic infrastructures across the UK. This scoping project will identify which STFC capabilities could potentially offer solutions that might address the stakeholder priorities in a GFSIA.
The outcomes of this project will include stakeholder maps for GFSIA and a report setting out state-of-the-art in applying blockchain/distributed ledger technology to food supply chains. The report will also set out the stakeholder priorities and produce an overview on what other technological capabilities could contribute to solutions in this research.
Planned Impact
For this scoping project we have two impact goals:
Impact Goal 1: To have identified and secured the commitment of a community of stakeholders who will work to understand the opportunities and challenges inherent in establishing an information architecture capable of supporting global food security.
Impact Goal 2: To make available open access educational material focused on the needs of food chain stakeholders to address the issues identified through our stakeholder engagement activities
Impact Goal 1: To have identified and secured the commitment of a community of stakeholders who will work to understand the opportunities and challenges inherent in establishing an information architecture capable of supporting global food security.
Impact Goal 2: To make available open access educational material focused on the needs of food chain stakeholders to address the issues identified through our stakeholder engagement activities
| Description | The repeated requests from industry for research into how to apply distributed ledger (blockchain) technologies to achieve full traceability across planetary-scale food supply chains and how to manage the governance of these networked systems evidences the need for a network to focus on this issue. |
| Exploitation Route | The report available on the webpage sets out recommendations for future work. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Retail,Security and Diplomacy,Transport |
| URL | http://www.ntu.ac.uk/gfsia |
| Description | Since being awarded this small grant I have made 10 presentations to large retailers and food technical specialist groups. I am currently working with industry and community groups to work towards a co-produced funding application to connect together food and health services to create a place-based trusted food system and healthy environment; this will promote well-being and enable the growth of social enterprise. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Retail,Transport,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | 21C Abattoir Funding Sandpit |
| Organisation | Food Standards Agency (FSA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Leading on from the STFC project I was asked to be Principal Lead for this funding sandpit which was a collaboration between the STFC and FSA. I organised the two-day workshop and ensured the appropriate academic, business and industry partners were all able to participate. Several bids for pilot projects have been submitted for further funding and the outcomes of this process will be announced in the next month. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The FSA sent 30 participants to this event over the two days and many of these are now engaged in new collaborations with business and academic partners to explore how technology can support the development of a 21st C abattoir. |
| Impact | Currently a number of pilot projects are under consideration to receive funding from this sandpit. All these projects will be inter-disciplinary and involve collaboration with the FSA and business partners. Academics from Business; Computer Science; Environmental Sciences; Materials Science and Technology disciplines are involved in these projects. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Created a web page with links to a report and a short video to explain how the blockchain could support food supply chain transparency to engage stakeholders in the research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This activity helps us to fulfill GFSIA Impact Goal 2 by making available open access educational material focused on the needs of food chain stakeholders to address the issues identified in the Global Food Blockchain Initiative workshop. This web page and video is supporting our outreach to connect with stakeholders from across the food industry, associated industries, regulatory bodies, food technologists, packaging manufacturers, software providers, other service providers who through our workshop activities have communicated they wanted to know more about the capability of distributed ledger technologies to support global food security and supply chain challenges |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.ntu.ac.uk/research/groups-and-centres/projects/gfsia |
| Description | Presentation to Industry Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited plenary entitled: "Blockchains for Supply Chain Transparency", Annual Conference of The Institute of Grocery Distributors, London, November 13th, 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://supplychainanalysis.igd.com/news/news-article/t/reflections-from-igd-supply-chain-summit-201... |
| Description | Presentation to Industry Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited plenary presentation entitled: "Is Blockchain the answer to food waste, food fraud and supply chain disruption?" given at the British Standards Institute 'Future of Food' Conference. The Lansdowne Club, Mayfair, October 4th, 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/industries-and-sectors/food-and-drink/future-food-conference-2018/age... |
| Description | Presentation to Industry Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk entitled: "Intelligent Food Supply Chains" this was given to the Food Industry Intelligence Network (FIIN). Chipping Camden, November 20th 2018. FIIN are a group comprised of experts from across the food industry to help co-ordinate the food industry responses to scenarios such as the horse meat scandal, or fuel shortages across the food supply chain. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation to Specialist Industry Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited plenary "Blockchain/Traceability for the Chill Chain", given at the Annual Technical Seminar for the British Frozen Food Federation, Annual Conference, Birmingham. February 7th, 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://bfff.co.uk/technical/seminar/ |