ANTARES VISION GROUP: LAUNCH OF THE FIRST RICE SUPPLY CHAIN TRACEABILITY SYSTEM

The Group has assisted BF SpA and its Le Stagioni d’Italia brand in the “Transparent Supply Chain” project, by developing the first rice traceability system, thanks to dynamic QR Codes that give each product package a Unique Digital Identity

Travagliato, 7 May 2024 – Quality, transparency, information are the cornerstones that reflect the needs of Italian consumers and therefore of manufacturers, who are expected to respond with a targeted approach to achieve innovation and traceability. In this context, Antares Vision Group – Italian multinational, leading provider in Track & Trace systems and quality control, which guarantee the transparency of products and supply chains through integrated data management – has developed the hardware and software technology for the first rice supply chain traceability project, from the field to the final consumer. The Group was selected as the technological partner of BF S.p.A., the largest Italian agro-industrial group, for the “Transparent Supply Chain” initiative. Each Le Stagioni d’Italia packet of rice, therefore, will have a QR Code on its label, which enables consumers to follow the product’s lifecycle through Antares Vision Group’s traceability system. This is the first project of this kind, achieved in collaboration with RurAll, a company owned by Antares Vision Group, BF Group, Bluarancio (Coldiretti) and SDF Group, the objective of which is to promote the ecological and digital transformation of the agrifood sector, through a technological system that gathers and processes the data originating from the agrifood supply chain.

This ecosystem facilitates the traceability of all information relating to the supply chain, starting from the crop polygon, then passing through each stage of transformation and processing, ending with the creation of a Unique Digital Identity by printing – at line speed on any type of device – a QR Code applied to each single product package. The QR Code is unique, therefore each specific package can be identified and traced and it’s dynamic, providing the consumer with visibility of the supply chain, right down to each plot of land belonging to the farmer that supplied the rice. Furthermore, thanks to geolocalisation, it provides different information depending on the user who scans the QR code, such as active promotions in a specific geographical area, personalised recipes or data on sustainability and quality, as a guarantee of supply chain transparency.

“We are proud to participate together with BF S.p.A. in this project that puts Antares Vision Group’s technology at the service of a priority and strategic sector for our country such as food. The software used creates a fully traceable and transparent system that guarantees the quality, safety and authenticity of the product, optimizes the production costs of companies, and puts the consumer at the center of the production process. Each rice package features a unique QR Code that creates a unique digital identity for each individual unit. In fact, each product has data associated with its history, production and packaging processes, and its movement through the supply chain. This makes it possible to combat counterfeiting, identify parallel markets and open a direct dialogue with the consumer, aimed at consumer engagement and loyalty,” commented Gianluca Mazzantini, CEO and General Manager Antares Vision Group.

Antares Vision Group continues to be a supplier of complete hardware and software solutions. In this case, the machine designed is equipped with a printing solution that prints the QR Code and checks its presence and readability; while the software manages the unique and dynamic serial codes, which provide access to different specific information on origin, processing and transformation practices for each package. The benefits of product serialisation include direct end-to-end dialogue with the final consumer, the protection and enhancement of the brand, combatting grey markets and supply chain transparency.

This technology, which is potentially applicable to all agrifood supply chains, provides an opportunity to control the message channelled through a QR Code unique to each package. In the event of a recall, for example, the packages in question can be accurately identified, and a specific message to the consumer can be included, inviting them not to use the product, explaining how to return it and obtain a replacement. What’s more, the dynamic QR Code is ideal for organising promotions or contests or designing a consumer-centered experience for specific sets of packages or even for a single package.