New SecQuAL Consortium Launches

A group of 11 UK companies has been awarded funding by the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for a project designed to bring technology to the fore in the farm-to-fork ecosystem. The award is part of “Made Smarter Innovation delivered by UK Research and Innovation.”

The SecQuAL (Secure Quality Assured Logistics for Digital Food Ecosystems) project will initially focus on the application of smart labels in pork production, in order to reduce food waste and increase consumer confidence in the food they purchase.

SecQuAL will enable a new breed of high growth UK based innovators to develop critical and integrated technologies which support the increasing digitalization and provenance transparency of food supply chains through the benefits of blockchain technologies. They will work alongside the established supply chain, which is grappling with the added challenges and opportunities of post-Brexit international trade and the current pandemic.

Smart labels are unique digital IDs which can be attached to food, allowing it to be traced, tracked and monitored in real-time.

The technology can be applied to provide information on food provenance, monitor cold chain conditions, more accurately predict shelf-life and even enable direct feedback from consumers to producers. Smart labelling can also identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in supply chains, as well as allowing for remote regulatory oversight and compliance.

Consisting of 11 organizations including IBM with IBM Food Trust, Cranswick Foods PLC and the Food Standards Agency, the SecQuAL consortium brings together experts across technology, software and systems, food production and supply chain regulation and assurance.

“It is unthinkable that the assurance of our food will operate within current technological constraints in 10 years time,” said Stuart Kelly, sales director, business assurance, Lloyd’s Register. “Concerns about food safety, provenance and waste, combined with expectations of low food prices, mean that supply chains will have to become smarter and more efficient. With our established expertise in the food sector and with the visibility that LR has right across the supply chain, we are in a unique position to help the food industry take this step.”

“Our vision is to be the world’s most sustainable meat business through our Second Nature sustainability program,” added Clive Stephens, head of R&D at leading food producer Cranswick PLC. “To achieve this goal, we need to adopt new technology and operating processes at every stage of our business, from farm to fork. We are excited to join the SecQuAL program to improve traceability throughout the supply chain; reduce waste, especially once products leave our sites, and to utilize a tool to directly engage and educate consumers about the provenance and quality of the products they are purchasing.”

“As a modern regulator, we regularly explore innovative approaches to enhance food safety and standards,” Prof. Rick Mumford, head of science, evidence & research, Food Standard Agency, said. “As a partner, we will get a chance to engage first-hand with leading-edge technology and evaluate the potential this might have for supporting the work we do with industry to ensure food supply chain integrity.”

“Trust, sustainability, authenticity and transparency are now the values embedded in the social contract between consumers, retailers and food producers,” Luq Niazi, GM Global Distribution Sector and global managing director Consumer Industries, IBM, said. “SecQuAL brings together the key players needed to improve trust across the full supply chain – from farm to fork. At the same time, there is also opportunity to reduce waste and have a lasting impact on the use of the earth’s resources.”

The consortium members are:
• Lloyd’s Register
• PragmatIC Semiconductor Ltd.
• RSK ADAS
• IBM
• Advanced Material Development (AMD)
• BlakBear
• Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
• Consus Fresh Solutions
• Cranswick PLC
• CCL Design
• Food Standards Agency