The blockchain as an advanced solution to guarantee the traceability, authenticity and quality of products. The "green heart" region of Italy faces the post-Covid recovery by focusing on new technologies. If the pandemic has put entire agri-food chains in crisis everywhere, this does not mean that we cannot find resources and methodologies to stay on the markets. The winning path is that of sustainability and plant protection-free cropsthe. In the relaunch decree, the government has allocated 1 billion and 150 million for agritourisms, oenology, floriculture. In Umbria, agriculture has just been granted 50 million euros by the Region.
Three well-known companies in the area - Molitoria Umbra, Agribosco and I Potti de Fratini - straddling these economic supports, have joined the Grigi Group to use the blockchain as a marketing tool. They have chosen the most advanced IT application of recent years to create a regional cluster. A model on the road to sustainable economy, which can also be replicated outside Umbria. We'll see how much it will be appreciated.
The four companies have chosen IBM Food Trust, capable of connecting the ecosystem of producers, suppliers and retailers along the entire food chain. The industrial ambition is to create a smarter, safer and more documented system. Flour, cereals, olive oil are traced and controlled to go on the markets and on the tables in a transparent way.
The experimentation is noteworthy because the companies are committed to using only local raw materials of the highest quality. But what is their background? Do they have what it takes to win? The Grigi Group presents itself as a leader in the livestock and food sector; Molitoria Umbra, grinds durum wheat to obtain semolina for pasta and bread-making; Agribosco produces cereals, legumes and flour, I Potti de Fratini is a renowned oil mill. IBM Food Trust technology, in turn, presents itself with the excellence of blockchain technology to explore new paths in a sector decimated by the coronavirus. All together at the start can be successful even if you have to see the public response.
The combined companies present both in the Italian and foreign markets now allow those who connect to access their catalogues. IBM, together with two local partners, makes agricultural production processes available to make known the history of the products and the intrinsic characteristics.
Large distribution chains such as Carrefour have been contacted to make the marketing strategy more efficient and faster in a sort of partnership with the promoting companies. The applied blockchain guarantees the freshness of the food, the storage times, the seriousness of the operators.
An IBM study of global consumer trends found that more and more households are choosing tracked products for their grocery shopping. 71% of respondents say they are ready to pay a premium to companies that offer complete transparency and traceability of what they sell. Transparency, of course, must include all the "visible" workforce, to quote the Minister of Agriculture Teresa Bellanova. Woe if it weren't.
