Food waste is a major global issue, with almost 40 percent of the total food produced going to waste every year. This waste costs the global economy over $1 trillion, while also resulting in the emission of billions of tons of greenhouse gases. To address this, a consortium of food and technology organizations and universities, including Nottingham Tent University (NTU), have taken action with the rollout of the REAMIT project.
The REAMIT project (Resource Efficiency of Agribusiness supply chains by Minimizing waste using big data and IoT sensors) works to improve the resource efficiency of agribusiness supply chains by minimizing the amount of food waste produced. By doing this, they aim to save 1.8Mt of food waste, or €3B per year, in North-West Europe and prevent 5.5Mt/yr of CO2 emissions.
The project uses big data and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to detect and monitor food waste, enabling the team to track and measure the resources used in food production and the subsequent waste generated. The project also focuses on process optimization, the use of analytics and machine learning for decision support, and predictive analytics for forecasting.
The REAMIT project is a five-year project with a total budget of €18 million, to develop improved methods for quantifying and managing resources in the agro-food supply chain. The first year of the project was spent setting up the project and gathering data, while the second focused on developing technological solutions. In the third year, the project team worked on implementing and evaluating the technology and its services.
The project is currently in the fourth year of its execution, and the team is focusing on optimizing the data and its services. The final year will be devoted to implementing the project’s impact and integrating new methods and technologies.
The REAMIT project aims to provide a much-needed solution to global food waste and emissions. The project team is confident that their research will significantly save resources and emissions. With the help of big data and IoT sensors, the project team is working to impact the global fight against food waste and emissions.