Farm-to-Fork SMART LABEL for increasing consumer trust and ensuring support for local milk and dairy producers

The COVID pandemic has modified the consumer perception towards food, more and more attention being given to natural and local ingredients, with low or no preservatives added and raw or poorly processed products, as a way to support good immunity. In a highly globalised world, where food value chains are often long and complicated, consumers find there is a gap between the level of information they want from the animal product in order to make an informed purchase decision. As consumer tastes and environmental challenges evolve, the industry becomes ever more diverse and resourceful. Today’s consumer is more interested in the raw materials used to obtain the processed products, final product freshness and quality, sustainability, authenticity, transportation, shelf life, and even how recyclable the packaging is. SMART LABELS have been used successfully by big food companies, but their use in the traditional agri-food production system is relatively unknown. Their use may boost the demand for milk and dairy products produced locally or regionally by sharing information about the dairy product value chain during the life-cycle of the product, nutritional specifications, health oriented attributes and even recipes in which the product may be used. The aim of the present study was assess weather the use of smart labels (quick response codes and thermochromic indicator) may increase increase consumer trust towards locally produced animal origin products, while facilitating the development of an interactive connection between consumers and local producers, where consumers are able to give feedback, ask questions and contribute actively to the development of other the products and services.