Empowering a fair and responsible European FoodRegister, fostering citizen sovereignty and creating a datadrivenfood system

• Forschungsstelle: SBFI
• Projektnummer: 22.00465

Abstract (Englisch)

The overall goal of our project is to achieve trust in a data-driven food system by implementing Digital Responsibility Goals for the foodsector. This will enable new levels of innovation for example in food safety, sustainability, personalized nutrtion, reduction of food wasteand fair conditions throughout the entire food chain. The programme works on a clear strategic roadmap (a new virtual food system), a settechnological enablers, demonstration of solutions, a structured funding programme with open calls, and measures to guide and supportthe food ecosystem of third party beneficiaries, citizens, stakeholders. As a consortium, we maintain the perspective that technologyis not a means to an end, but acts merely as an empowering enabler, providing the means to achieve a wide variety of innovative andvaluable use cases. Use cases that promise to serve a broader audience, provided that adequate access also is considered as a prerequisite.Currently however, technology is primarily developed from the perspective and needs of corporations and / or authorities- a limitationthat risks perpetuating or further exacerbating the above-mentioned lack of trust within the markets that they serve. With a more diverseand human-centric driven perspective we believe the new use cases that will emerge and the technology development required to realisethem will contribute to a more sustainable ecosystem that is “trustworthy by default”. To truly design for trust, the entire chain of activitiesand underlying assumptions towards developing technology has to be based on fundamental values like responsibility, privacy and usercontrol - especially when dealing with valuable and sensitive food data. The starting point of all assumptions needs to be the user andtheir values - not a business model or (legitimate) state interests.