Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB 
Short description of the project
The project “FriDa - Frische Daten“ (Fresh Data) aims to digitally map the freshness of food within the entire supply chain from harvest to sale. In the process, the technical possibilities of Industry 4.0 are translated into the food industry in an exemplary manner.
Motivation
A reduction of food waste with the help of NIR spectroscopy and additional sensors along the food supply chains, because in the EU 20% of all food produced ends up in the rubbish every year. This equates to 88 million tonnes of food thrown away, with an annual value of around €143 billion. Food waste is not only an ethical and economic problem, but also a burden on the soil and the environment. Food waste is responsible for 8% of all global man-made greenhouse gas emissions. For these reasons, EU member states have committed to halving food waste by 2030.
Project goals and approach
In addition to spectral sensors, other sensors will be integrated into the food supply chain as part of the project. For this purpose, individual food transport containers will be equipped with integrated temperature, humidity, position and acceleration sensors. The temperature and humidity data can be used to create better shelf-life models for temperature-sensitive food. The acceleration sensors can be used to check whether pressure-sensitive foods have been transported improperly and thus have a high probability of being damaged. These models can be supplemented with data from the spectral food scanners at certain stations, such as before packaging and at goods receiving.
All data is continuously transferred to the cloud, creating an improved flow of information along the food supply chain. This enables better, data-based decisions for all stakeholders, which also reduces food waste.