FreshAnalytics

Platform for AI optimization of the food supply chain from the producer to the consumer

Application industry: Food
Technology area: Data and service management

FreshAnalytics is developing a digital cloud system that uses artificial intelligence to optimize food delivery and thereby help reduce the enormous waste of food.

The baseline
According to recent studies, food worth 143 billion euros is thrown away in the European Union every year. A considerable proportion of goods is already destroyed on the way to the consumer because the food does not meet the strict quality and safety requirements, or the best-before date expires due to delays in the delivery process. At the same time, the German government has committed itself, in line with the UN sustainability goals, to halve the waste of food by 2030. FreshAnalytics intends to support this goal through data-based optimization of the supply chain.

The project goal
FreshAnalytics is developing a cloud application that enables the quality and storage conditions of individual food products to be monitored along the entire supply chain. A food-specific toolbox will also be created that can be used, for instance, for fresh fish. The toolbox is a library that collects certain product data, such as information on how long a specific product can be used without cooling. A data management system is intended to provide several basic services as a digital platform, including, for example, a uniform data management system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) methods to analyse various data from distributed systems, such as cooling temperatures, freshness factors, or energy consumption. This will serve as a basis for determining a dynamic best-before date for perishable foods which shows precisely how long a given product is still suitable for consumption.

Building on this, further data-based services will be investigated and tested, for example, modules for processing recourse claims or for sales control. An app-based information system is also planned which will provide consumers with detailed information about products, encourage them to report their observations back to the platform, and help reduce food waste through intelligent services.

Application and practical benefit
FreshAnalytics’s solution is designed to help reduce food waste both along the entire supply chain and in households. However, FreshAnalytics also offers added value for retailers because the platform can be also used to make sales forecasts or develop dynamic price models based on the actual freshness of a product.

Term: 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2021

Consortium: tsenso GmbH (lead partner), arconsis GmbH, GS1 Germany GmbH, University of Siegen, Deggendorf Institute of Technology

Contact:
Dr. Matthias Brunner
tsenso GmbH

E-Mail: m.brunner@tsenso.com

Website: www.tsenso.com