In a recent interview, Wenda’s co-founder Mattia Nanetti talked about the connections between COVID-19 and Beverage Integrity Tracking, a Use Case – in which Wenda has the role of coordinating other partners, which are SIVE, VINIDEAs, Highclere Consulting and VINIDEA – in the context of the Fruits Trial, a section of Internet of Food and Farm 2020.
IoF 2020 is a project which is part of Horizon 2020 – the biggest EU Research and Innovation program ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – and aims to consolidate Europe’s leading position in the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies applied to the AgriFood sector.

COVID-19 has put Food chains under pressure in many different ways. From changes in demand to an increased risk of unforeseen delays along the way. ”The stress on supply chains leads to an even bigger need for transparency between partners”, said Mattia Nanetti, Use Case coordinator and co-founder of Wenda. Which is good, because that is exactly what Use Case 3.6 offers.

Shipping is one of the most critical parts of the Food supply chain for perishable and sensitive goods. The Wenda Platform allows all partners to see how the products were conserved along the chain, from producer to point of sale. Humidity, temperature, location are visible to all partners – also in real time, if needed.
The incorporation of IoT technologies in the fruit supply chain has the potential to reduce pre- and postharvest losses, lower input, improve quality, achieve higher distances and improve product traceability (including protected designation of origin).
In the words of Mattia: “If you know what has happened underway, and under whose responsibility the goods were at the moment of say a sudden temperature rise, you can solve it immediately. There’s no dispute on who’s to blame. More clarity results in less dispute and a faster solution.”

The Platform is not limited to the monitoring of the shipping phase: through its modules it can cover many more stages, such as goods entry (Inbound module), storage and processing (Storage module), goods exit (Outbound module) and last mile delivery (Delivery module). 
Mattia also noted that many companies are redesigning their strategies and are subsequently more open to start sharing data with chain partners, fostering supply chain collaboration to drive quality and profits. The increased demand for fresh and local goods in supermarkets also pushes suppliers towards more transparency.

With the experience gained in monitoring the handling of wine, the Platform can be easily used in other chains where shipment is the critical factor: industries and products which can benefit from the Wenda Platform are meat and fish, milk and dairy products, frozen food and many others.
Are you interested in testing the Platform in your logistic process? The basic features are set up in less than 30 minutes, and UC 3.6 can advise you on what hardware suits your needs best too. “We are more than happy to share our findings with other partners”,  Mattia said.