World trends in Foodtech – IoT

In a previous article we introduced the theme of foodtech (https://www.completefood.it/en/world-trend-foodtech/), giving a brief summary of the main areas in which the most innovative food companies in the world are working.

Today we talk about the startups in the food world active in the field of the so-called IoT, internet of things.
The internet of things is a concept according to which more and more objects and places will be connected to the internet in the coming years. The process is still ongoing. It is estimated that around 30 billion objects will be connected to the Internet in the next year.
What does this mean for the food sector?
The impacts will be many, and will concern different aspects of food.
Let’s take some examples in this article, dividing the themes into three macro areas. However, this is a subjective division: the sector is so new that an official “literature” does not yet exist.

Traceability and security

On this issue we have written an article a few weeks ago, always inherent to the innovations existing in foodtech. The spread of sensors connected to the Internet will have an impact on the traceability of food. Consider the possibility of controlling fraud or food contamination. For more details: https://www.completefood.it/en/trend-in-foodtech-food-safety/.
Food safety will also increase thanks to IoT: think of the possibility of collecting real-time information from sensors capable of measuring temperature, placed in the places where food is stored and transported, which must remain within the so-called cold chain (such as for example for the fresh fish chain).

Precision Farming

Speaking of IoT applied to the world of agriculture, the term Precision Farming is sometimes used. Thanks to the use of the Internet of things, the farmers of the future will be able to receive information from cultivated land, in order to optimize, for example, irrigation. Think of sensors that indicate the degree of soil moisture and allow automatic adjustment of when to irrigate and how much water to use. Similarly, through the IoT it will be possible to minimize the use of pesticides, limiting their use only to the areas of cultivated land affected by pests. An example? Take a look at the Italian startup Elaisian (https://elaisian.com/home) which applies IoT and Precision Agriculture technologies to the world of olive growing.

Home automation applied to the kitchen

We are only at the beginning of a paradigm shift, which sees more and more appliances connected to the internet. One of the contexts that will be touched by the connection of objects to the internet is that of the kitchen. Some startups are already working to give a service to those who want a cutting-edge kitchen that is always connected to the internet. Curious? Look at the US app Innit, which by connecting to kitchen appliances (from the fridge to the oven) is able to make recommendations on what to buy and what to cook: https://www.innit.com/innitapp/