Big data could improve food safety in China

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce (BMCC) has revealed its plans to take advantage of big data and cloud computing technology innovations, incorporating it into the food industry in order to improve safety standards.

The commission aims to set up a food traceability system in order to track products at all stages of the food supply chain, from food production to processing, packaging, delivery, and sales.

One of the first steps in the development of the food traceability system was to sign a strategic agreement with Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, which is one of the largest online retailers in China by revenue and volume and is a member of Fortune Global 500.  The commission has contacted other established brands in Beijing to develop their own traceability systems.

At the end of 2017, the BMCC recorded 1,778 traceability points in the pork supply chain, which will increase to 1,900 this year. Similarly, the vegetable supply chain had 2,383 traceability points last year, set to increase to 2,600 in 2018.

Big data and the food industry

As big data and data mining practices become more advanced, the food industry is beginning to take advantage of the same big data services that financial and marketing firms have been using for years. Food manufacturers can use big data to understand changing consumer patterns, to improve efficiency and even as a way to create more inventive recipes.

A joint project conducted by Wired and FoodNetwork analysed 906,539 ratings to see if bacon could improve any recipe. The study found that ‘sandwiches that include bacon see the biggest improvements in ratings.’ The same results found, however, that ‘bacon does not improve ratings on dessert recipes.’

Meanwhile, IBM researchers have created a computer programme that generates original recipes. The user inputs an ingredient and the programme tries to match up different complementary foods, creating brand new recipe ideas based on the relationship between certain ingredients, molecules and chemical compounds present in different foods, and human taste preferences. This could be a huge innovation for food manufacturers and chefs wishing to develop unique recipes.

Another use of big data can be seen in the food supply industry, with fast-food chains such as McDonalds, pursuing big data by using trend-analytics to understand what goes on at individual outlets, and identify the most efficient practices.