Italy leads the world with its rich heritage of 890 geographical indications (GIs), valued at over 20 billion euros annually and connected to approximately 900,000 workers. Despite this, the Italian agri-food sector is increasingly facing threats from frauds online, such as unlawful use, evocation, and imitation of GIs.
To combat these offenses, the Central Inspectorate for the Protection of Quality and the Suppression of Fraud (Icqrf) of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests, which performs 6,000 online checks per year, has eliminated over 4,000 irregular product listings from e-commerce platforms. Acknowledging the rising challenge, the Icqrf collaborates with the Interuniversity Center for the Science of Security and Crime (Cssc) of the Universities of Trento and Verona to develop an automatic web search system. This system utilizes artificial intelligence to detect usurpations, evocations, and imitations of Italian GIs, hence positioning Italy at the forefront of quality agro-food heritage protection.
The Verifood project, unveiled at Vinitaly, embodies this ambition. It merges the research capabilities of the Interuniversity Center, which specializes in multidisciplinary applied research for security aiding offline and online investigations, with ten years of Icqrf’s experience in combating online GI frauds.
The cornerstone of Verifood is artificial intelligence, supplemented by criminology, cognitive sciences, and legal expertise leading to the creation of an innovative “Verifood platform.” This bespoke platform will enhance the Icqrf’s already globally recognized online monitoring activities, making them more effective and efficient. The system incorporates cutting-edge AI techniques, criminological analysis, and cognitive scientist input to translate the methods of Icqrf inspectors into digital rules. Legal experts ensure the system meets international standards relating to data protection, governance, cybersecurity, and digital forensic risk.
After a year’s effort, the prototype has shown encouraging results in fraud detection, and over the next two years, it will be refined and expanded to oversee an increasing number of GIs and improve the detection of fraudulent listings, including image recognition. The ultimate goal is to identify online frauds that are most likely to deceive potential victims.
Verifood is grounded in cooperation among qualified public and private stakeholders, including the Protection Consortia, universities, and research centers, forming a national network to optimize synergies in monitoring, combating, and preventing online fraud. Additionally, a national course for specialized multidisciplinary training on this topic will be established.
Another key objective of Verifood is raising public awareness about the importance of protecting Italian GIs. The university’s role includes reaching out through online and offline communications, educational meetings, conferences, university courses, and publications to engage citizens in protecting the country’s culinary excellence.
Relevant additional facts:
– Italy’s efforts in utilizing an AI-based system to combat food fraud are part of a broader global trend where technology is being deployed to secure food supply chains.
– AI and data analytics have been increasingly used in various nations to track the authenticity of products and ensure compliance with food safety and quality regulations.
– Food fraud costs the global food industry an estimated $30-40 billion annually, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
– The use of blockchain in particular for food traceability is also a growing trend that complements AI efforts.
– Italy’s economic reliance on its food and agriculture sector underscores the critical need for sophisticated systems such as Verifood to protect the country’s culinary reputation and market integrity.
Key questions and answers regarding the topic:
– Q: Why is AI useful in combating food fraud?
A: AI can process vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently, identifying patterns and anomalies that may indicate fraudulent activity, which is otherwise difficult and time-consuming for humans alone to detect.
– Q: What are the key challenges in implementing an AI system like Verifood?
A: Key challenges include ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the system, integrating the system within existing legal frameworks and regulations, safeguarding against data breaches, and ensuring the privacy of businesses and individuals.
– Q: How does Verifood platform ensure compliance with international standards?
A: Legal experts are involved in the development of the Verifood platform to ensure it meets international standards for data protection, cybersecurity, and forensic risks.
– Q: What might be the controversies associated with such AI systems?
A: Potential controversies could involve concerns about the surveillance of legitimate businesses, the mishandling of proprietary data, possible false positives affecting innocent producers, and the challenge of keeping the AI system’s capabilities ahead of sophisticated fraudulent schemes.
Advantages and disadvantages:
– Advantages:
– Increased efficiency and speed in detecting food fraud.
– Reduction of economic loss due to fraudulent activities.
– Enhanced protection of Italy’s gastronomical heritage and reputation.
– Strengthened consumer trust in Italian food products.
– Disadvantages:
– High initial development and implementation costs.
– Complexity in aligning with international legal and privacy standards.
– Potential errors in detection with consequences for legitimate businesses.
– Ongoing maintenance and updates required to keep the system current.
Relevant links:
– Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
– Interpol (for information on international efforts to combat food fraud)
– GS1 (for standardization and traceability in supply chains)
The source of the article is from the blog klikeri.rs