TRACE

WHAT?

Trace Rice is a project sponsored by Prima (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) program, whose goal is to track rice value chain, using blockchain concepts, valorizing side streams along Mediterranean rice production.

Trace-Rice offers an alternative based on innovation towards natural, healthy and tasteful rice-based foods with the use and the provision of low cost and passive technologies for product traceability and rapid bioassays for the screening of multiple compounds to fully address the emerging and multi varied challenges.
It will do so with an integrated full chain approach (from farm to fork), for raw rice and ready-to-eat rice, which will enhance the competitiveness of SMEs operating in the rice sector.

WHY?

Rice is a fundamental constituent of modern and healthy diets. Most of the rice consumed in Europe is grown in the EU Mediterranean countries. As it is difficult to differentiate rice varieties based on visual observation, the harvested seeds and subsequente processed products are highly prone to adulteration with look-alike and low-quality seeds.

Fraudulent misrepresentation related to sustainability issues is an increasing risk in the medium to long term and rice market claims for a solution to both crucial problems, fraud and food safety.