Summary

Food safety, food quality and food traceability, are all increasingly in demand from consumers and retailers, placing growing pressure on farmers.

To address this, the supply chain requires technologies that enable automated and user-friendly data collection and analysis. Historically, food quality has been a subjective and human-based measurement. The technologies at the core of this project enable objective measurement, and secure data collection throughout the supply chain, providing consumers wither greater quality assurance and driving increased demand for northern Australia produce.

This project had three core research components:

1. Quality Assessment Sensor: Sensor technology was applied across the supply chain – on farms, in packing sheds, during logistics movements and at retailer warehouse and outlets – to generate insights into eating quality, shelf life, durability, and ripening time of mangoes. The research involved measuring mangoes using sensors and developing proprietary algorithms and models.
2. SmartCrate Produce Tracker: This component explored whether a smart chip – capable of measuring temperature, humidity, GPS positioning, accelerometry and gyrometry – could be economically developed and integrated into existing crates and logistics systems used by mango growers. It also investigated whether the data collected could provide objective insights and correlations to fruit quality at the end of the transport journey, helping to reduce or eliminate rejection rates.
3. Blockchain Trust Provenance System: This component utilised blockchain technology and data collected across the supply chain – from paddock to plate – including sensor data and other key data points, to ensure integrity and transparency in the track-and-traceability and provenance authentication.

Expected outcomes

• Upon adoption, an additional 10% could be added to the value of farm gate production – equating to $14 million per annum in the mango industry alone. Further benefits are expected throughout the supply chain.
• The technology can also be replicated across other fruit and other food industries.
• Value creation can be captured by leveraging Smart Supply Chain technology to underpin the value proposition of premium fruit in the export markets, where mangos can fetch $15 to $20 in some Asian countries, compared to $3 to $4 in Australia.
• Point-of-sale transparency of relevant transactions and product information will further enhance consumer trust and demand.