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SHORT NEWS

New tracking system makes food aid more transparent

#AI #hunger #nutrition #tracking system

Until now, food aid operations have been a black box. A new MIT technology is shedding light on the issue, with unique IDs for each individual product.

A child running through a maize maze (symbol image)

Actually, more than enough food is produced to feed all the world's people. Yet some 828 million are currently suffering from hunger. The causes are poverty, social inequality, climate change, natural disasters or political conflicts. The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) has played a key role in global food aid for many years. Its pathways, however, are convoluted and opaque: the food that the BHA provides is passed between more than 100 partner organizations before it reaches its destination, according to an MIT report.

To increase the effectiveness of food aid, MIT Lincoln Laboratory has developed a smart dashboard that shows the supply chain from production to delivery. At the heart of this is a traceability system with unique IDs for each product, similar to fingerprints. Handover partners can scan these codes with a mobile app to indicate the location and transaction status of the food.

Real-time data exchange, more food safety

Pilot projects to evaluate the system have been conducted in Houston, Texas, and Ethiopia. Further projects in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP) will enable real-time data exchange and improve food safety. The ultimate goal is to label and trace all of BHA's food products worldwide.

However, MIT says the long-term potential of the traceability system goes beyond food: the system could also enable the tracking of medical supplies and resources for disaster relief.

Written by: had

Photos: Keystone

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Carlos Sanchez

A smart path into a sustainable future

Sustainability is no longer a distant dream but a present and pressing reality. Climate change and environmental degradation are forcing companies to take action. They must innovate and implement smart sustainability solutions, says Carlos Sanchez, a renowned sustainability visionary who shared with us the latest sustainability trends that can help build robust, resilient, and sustainable businesses.
September 28th, 2023
Mechanics performing maintenance work on an aircraft

Researchers make non-recyclable plastic recyclable

Swiss researchers have developed a new type of recyclable plastic that could be used in aircraft, cars or wind turbines in the future.
October 2nd, 2023
Recycled asphalt was used on the Lucmanier Pass

More recycled asphalt on Swiss roads

Tests with recycled asphalt on Swiss roads show promising results. In Uster ZH and on the Lukmanier Pass GR, the proportion of recycled asphalt could be increased without any loss of performance, according to Empa.
October 16th, 2023
a photovoltaic system on a house facade

Sun soon to be the most important source of energy

The sun is likely to become the world's most important source of energy before 2050, according to British scientists. This is the result of an analysis of technological and economic data by the University of Exeter and University College London.
November 27th, 2023
A hospital room with two beds divided by a curtain

Germicidal textiles for hospitals

A new process developed by Swiss researchers makes textiles germicidal. In future, this could be used to coat curtains in hospitals.
December 25th, 2023
G.V. Shivashankar arbeitet am PSI und der ETH Zürich

Fountain of youth for cells

Reprogrammed cells allow wounds in older people to heal faster. This could, for example, help burn victims.
January 1st, 2024
A scientist taking a water sample with a bottle

Gentle identification of fish species through their DNA

Identifying fish species in a river using DNA traces: This method was tested in Switzerland. It proved to be simpler and more reliable than the electrofishing method used to date.
January 15th, 2024
pressed plastic bottles

Microplastics fly particularly far and high

Microplastic fibres fly higher and further than previously assumed - even as far as the Arctic.
January 22nd, 2024
A futuristic aircraft with a blended wing body

Aircraft of the future make less noise

In an Empa research project, study participants rated the noise of new types of aircraft as less annoying than the noise of today's aircraft.
April 9th, 2024
the airship flying over a coast

British company produces climate-friendly airship

According to its developers, the British airship Airlander 10 could take off for commercial flights with passengers from 2028.
April 22nd, 2024