AanikaBiosciences has developed a #biological #barcode to trace products through supply chains and ensure that the food we eat is authentic, risk-free and precisely what it says on the label.

The technology works by modifying the genome of common inactive microbes to create a unique signature which contains information about the origins, certification and specific batches of the product. The tag, which is safe to consume, is then added to the product to improve #transparency and #traceability.

According to the UK Food Standards Agency, about 10% of food sold in supermarkets is adulterated with - the food can be unfit for consumption or the ingredients are incorrect. Food tampering can be harmful to customers health and even start outbreaks such as the E. coli outbreak in 2018 caused by contaminated salad. Individual lettuce heads have now been successfully tagged by AanikaBiosciences to help authorities quickly identify the source of the outbreak and recall the unfit products.

In addition to #agriculture, there are infinite possibilities for the barcode to be applied to #pharmaceuticals, designer products and valuable #minerals such as diamonds.

Discover more at:
aanikabio.com