Secure Traceability in the Food Supply Chain Using Cell Phone Readable Dendritic Identifiers

Investigators:  
Michael Kozicki (Arizona State University, PI) 
Mark Manfredo (Arizona State University, Co-PI) 
Yago Gonzalez Velo (Arizona State University, Co-PI) 
Abol Razi (Northern Arizona University, Co-PI)

Contact information: 
Michael.Kozicki@asu.edu

Funding Information: 
United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA); Proposal Number: 2020-03336

Overview: 
This research will focus on the development and validation of an advanced and innovative technology for item-level traceability that will ultimately improve food safety and food defense and cultivate high consumer trust in the face of contamination outbreaks and counterfeit products. The rationale behind our approach derives from the desperate need for an inexpensive farm-to-fork secure tracing technology and the inadequacies of existing food labeling solutions in supply chain protection. The project objectives are: (1) Creation of a low-cost unclonable food-safe tag that utilizes a novel electrochemical pattern formation technique coupled with standard methods and materials for food and agricultural item labeling. (2) Development of a pattern reading and recognition system based on cell phones that is compatible with existing and emerging supply chain database approaches that can be used by anyone from field to kitchen with little or no training. (3) Design and piloting of use models that fit with the realities of the food and agricultural supply chain. These objectives will be achieved through multi-disciplinary research activities involving engineers, computer scientists, and agribusiness experts in partnership with organizations in the food supply chain, including one of the top food labeling companies, coupled with a reliance on mature and available infrastructure.