IBOS - European Integrated Info-Box System for improved food safety and logistics
Overview
Background & policy context:
Because of several meat scandals, consumer trust in meat products is severely damaged. Food safety and chain reliability will have to be increased. That is why the objective of the Info-Box System (IBoS) was to improve logistics and to increase transparency of information in the logistic chain of perishable goods such as meat products.
The IBoS Trial complies with the EU objective to safeguard food quality and logistics transparency by establishing a reliable logistic chain as is lacking at present. (EU regulation 820-97).
Objectives:
The info-Box System (IBoS) aims to increase the transparency of information in the logistic chain of perishable goods such as meat products. By increasing the transparency of information food safety will be improved as the logistic processes in all nodes will be performed more secure and efficient and easy tracking & tracing of meat products will be enabled.
Methodology:
The info-Box System is a means to close the information gap that exists in the logistic chain between slaughterhouse and supermarket. Closing the logistic chain improves food safety and is of great importance to regain the lost consumer trust in meat products. The info-Box System is an integrated system of a new transport crate (info-Box) with state-of-the-art RFID ISO transponder technology built in the box and a new Supply Chain Management System to manage and control the information flows related to the use of the info-Box. This open standard, Internet based Supply Chain Management System enables every node in the logistic chain, from the slaughterhouse (box filler) to the supermarket (box emptier), to access the stored information of each box.
Successful innovation in the logistics chain requires the support of all nodes and high standardisation, requiring extensive field trials to prove the benefits. Trials are therefore performed in daily practice with 9000 info-Boxes to test the integrated info-Box System at several logistic nodes. Objective of the Trial was to prove and optimise the technical and business benefits of the info-Box system, as a last step before a successful commercialisation.
During the project, the following activities have been performed:
- selection of components;
- internal implementation;
- internal trials;
- external implementation;
- external trials;
- optimisation;
- final trials;
- exploitation/dissemination.
Central in the the iBoS Trial are 1 internal and 2x2 external pilots where finally 8.000 IBoS boxes have introduced in the logistic chain and functioned in addition to the currently used crates and systems. The 2x2 external pilots are carried out in two logistics flows:
- one flow from Ireland (AIBP) to the Netherlands (Hendrix Meat Group, Groothedde, Jumbo Supermarket, Super de Boer);
- one flow within Germany (Bull-Fleisch, Zimbo, Kartstadt, Walmart).
In the first pilot meat products are transported from meat producer to warehouse. In the second pilot also the retailers took part, which closed the logistics chain.
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