Agri-food businesses wanted for food waste reduction study

A project which aims to save 1.8 million tons of fresh food waste per year by using the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data is looking for agri-food SMEs to take part in a pilot study.

REAMIT focuses on fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, which are wasted in the largest quantities

Improving Resource Efficiency of Agribusiness supply chains by Minimising waste using Big Data and Internet of Things sensors (REAMIT) is a project funded by Interreg North-West Europe.

Businesses which deal with the transportation and / or storage of fresh food, such as delivery companies, restaurants and farmers, will have the opportunity to fit a range of sensors to their trucks which will monitor and record food quality and signal potential issues.

Using these analytics, owners of food at risk of becoming waste will be provided with options to minimise food waste via a smartphone app, such as redistribution to nearby customers.

With around 35% of waste occurring when food travels across supply chains, the €4.8m REAMIT project is being run across North-West Europe and focuses on fruits, vegetables, meat and fish as these are wasted in large quantities.

It aims to save 1.8 million tons of food waste, or €3 billion per year, in the region, and avoid 5.5 million tons per year of CO2 emissions.

As communication lead in the project, Nottingham Business School (NBS), part of Nottingham Trent University, is holding an event for agribusinesses to find out about the project and how it can benefit them financially and socially.

Professor Usha Ramanathan, Professor of Sustainability and Supply Chains at NBS, said: “Companies taking part will be supplied with their data to make informed decisions on their processes, leading to potential financial savings improved carbon footprint.

“As well building networks within the food supply chain industry, delegates will hear from international speakers on the latest challenges in reducing food waste and the importance of IoT and Big Data technologies in the food chain.”

The REAMIT Networking Symposium 2020 takes place in Nottingham on 9 January 2020. It is aimed at agribusiness stakeholders, IoT practitioners, academics and those from agri-food supply chains.

For further information visit the REAMIT website or contact via email or Tel: +44 (0)115 848 3065

Notes for editors

Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.

REAMIT
REAMIT (Improving Resource Efficiency of Agribusiness supply chains by Minimizing waste using Big data and IoT sensors) is led by the University of Bedfordshire with a consortium of French, British, Irish, German and Dutch partners, due to the quantity of existing interconnected food supply chains and the major food waste in these countries. For further information, visit the website
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