4. Project Background

Despite its vast scale and importance, the agricultural market suffers from significant inefficiencies due to information asymmetry among participants and a lack of trust. Balancing interactions with the environment poses challenges, and food security is closely related to the safety and prosperity of both nations and individuals.

Agricultural activities can have adverse effects on the natural environment, with fertilizer use leading to issues such as soil and water pollution, and land expansion causing ecosystem destruction and threatening biodiversity. The threat of radiation, unhygienic production, and distribution processes make it difficult to guarantee food safety, as unclear traceability hinders the early detection and prevention of unhygienic food items. This persistent threat to public health, coupled with consumer anxiety, can lead to decreased consumption and a slump in the food industry. Therefore, solutions are needed to address these issues.

As societies advance and the food industry develops alongside technological advancements, consumers are increasingly demanding safety and more information about the food they consume. Food safety is becoming a significant societal issue, and consumers want greater transparency.

One major cause of current food safety issues is the difficulty in controlling the supply chain. Each stage, from raw material harvesting to processing and distribution, operates separately, making it challenging to trace contamination if errors or negligence occur at any point. Identifying responsibility is difficult, making subsequent responses and improvements challenging. Moreover, the extent of the damage cannot be estimated, leading to the loss of all related products when problems arise.

Managing, identifying, and tracing all the history of food supply chains, including origin, processing, storage, quality maintenance, freshness, and distribution, is a challenging task. Failing to swiftly and effectively identify the source of contamination in food or the path of potential risks often leads to consumer complaints and extensive recalls, causing both national and corporate-level damages.