REAMIT : An innovative European technology project to reduce food waste.
In partnership with Images & Réseaux, Valorial is participating in this project, which targets an essential and priority issue for the EU.
Meeting with Régis Del Frate, Project Manager at Valorial, referent on this project.
What is the REAMIT project?
The REAMIT project proposes to adapt existing innovative technologies and apply them to agri-food supply chain management in Northern Europe. Reducing food waste is an absolute priority for the EU (88M tonnes or €143B per year of waste), which is committed to halving food waste by 2030 by focusing on all stages of the supply chain.
REAMIT will focus on fruits and vegetables, meat and fish that are wasted in larger quantities. The supply chain includes farmers, food processors, packaging, distribution, logistics and wholesalers and retailers.
The consortium is composed of French, British, Irish, Irish, German and Dutch partners due to the quantity of existing interconnected food supply chains and the major food waste in these countries.
REAMIT will adapt existing technologies (Raman Spectroscopy, CyberBar, volatile compound measurement, etc.) to implement the supply chain and will rely on the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Datapools to best meet the needs and specificities of the management system of these agri-food supply chains.
At the end of the project, these technologies will be able to monitor and record food quality in real time and report foods that are beginning to deteriorate. These technologies will also be a decision-making tool to optimize the management of food that is about to be withdrawn from sale and to propose alternative options to the waste bin.
The Kick off meeting with all the project partners took place on 16 May at the University of Bedfordshire (Luton - UK), followed by a new meeting of the consortium on 11 and 12 last September
What are the quantified objectives of the REAMIT project ?
- reduce food waste in the ENO area by 1.8M tonnes per year, or €3B per year
- avoid 5.5Mtonnes of CO2 emissions per year
- work on 5 pilots in support of food manufacturers and logistics (in 5 different countries of the consortium)
What are the next steps?
The implementation phases of sensors in industrial pilots are currently being deployed.
One of the objectives is to organize a symposium to present the work in Rennes at the end of 2020.
The REAMIT funding program
The Interreg North West Europe (ENO) programme is part of European cohesion policy and is financed by the European Economic and Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Created to encourage cooperation in North-Western Europe, the programme is seeking projects that will lead to concrete results to improve the quality of life of citizens and reduce disparities within regions. The programme co-finances up to 60% of approved projects that address one of the three programme priorities of innovation, carbon reduction and efficient use of resources and materials. The total budget available is €370 millions.
Project Coordinator : University of Bedfordshire, UK
Partenaires du projet :
France : Université de Nantes, Images & Réseaux avec Valorial, SenX
Ireland : University College Dublin, Institute of Technology in Tralee
UK : Levstone Ltd, Nottingham Trent University, Ulster University, Dunbia
Netherland : Whysor
Duration of the project
42 mois, du 11/01/2019 au 10/07/2022
Funding
European grant €2.93 million, out of a total budget of €4.88 million
REAMIT Website :
Valorial Website :