Connecting food with charities using TAGsparency

A solution by TAGsparency submitted to Food poverty - managing surplus food

Weak traceability of expiration dates on food products & low supervision of these deadlines in stores prevent to detect early enough food products that could be offered to disadvantaged communities. TAGsparency aims at offering a range of connected solutions using Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence to connect food products with short shelf life with people who could be interested in them.

(Pitched: 21/12/2017)

One Page Summary

TAGsparency brings an innovative and integrated solution to support traceability and transparency in the food system while making it a rewarding activity for all actors in the food chain.
The solution is proposed to consumers – in this specific case disadvantaged communities, producers, and retailers and third party associations in the form of a mobile application and a Software as a Service (SaaS). It uses a smart combination of QR-codes, blockchain, data analytics and artificial intelligence to increase transparency and food safety while bringing an unprecedented level of trust and notifying relevant parties when surplus food is made available in order to manage it in the most relevant manner.
Our complementary team of IT and food business experts are designing TAGsparency: a blockchain-based multiservice platform that aims at ensuring multi-party and transparent information disclosure over F&B products. Not only we believe that this platform may impact the way food is produced, distributed and consumed but we are sure that this technology can provide an unprecedented level of food safety to the food system and ultimately can also help to fight food poverty.
By scanning TAGsparency QR-codes, consumers will easily consult detailed, certified and unaltered information. They can also be reminded to consume their purchased food products before expiration date, can check anytime if the product is still safe to consume since they bought it and can even send feedback directly to producers or retailers - including the notification of a potential food intoxication.
All food related information is stored in a blockchain. 
An artificial intelligence on top is continuously analyzing this data and is—among others— able to report potential intoxication alerts to concerned producers and enable producers to quickly launch a product callback over the concerned batches.
Producers can use this direct feedback to retain customers, improve recipes, launch direct loyalty programs  Most importantly, in case of detection of food product defects, the call-backs of concerned batches can be precisely, smoothly, and efficiently executed while preserving the brand image of both producers and retailers.
Retailers can use TAGsparency to mitigate food waste in stores while detecting products with a short remaining life (by simply searching TAGsparency to know which products will expire soon). TAGsparency can then be used to connect communities in need (organisations and individuals), mapping transportation and organising timely collection and distribution. By opening TAGsparency to communities and individuals in need and organisations and individuals willing to participate in the transportation and distribution of surplus food from supermarkets to communities and individuals in need, TAGsparency can help to fight food poverty. Moreover, the integrated services of TAGsparency can raise additional awareness of the issue and educate communities about healthy eating.