ACRONYM: NatureBarcode
TITLE: Monitoring of the environmental fingerprint in Graviera Naxou PDO product for certification of authenticity and geographical origin
«The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE (project code: Τ2EDK-02988)»
According to the International Food Information Council (IFIC), food traceability is one of the top five trends in the food sector in 2019. Graviera Naxou PDO is a product of high economic value reflecting the particular soil and climate characteristics of the South Aegean and is part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Mediterranean diet. Furthermore, it represents all traditional PDO products characterized by uniqueness. The main objective of the project is to create an integrated tool for identifying the authenticity and geographical origin of PDO of traditional products by identifying with quantitative and analytical methods the unique signing of soil and climatic characteristics in the final product. Isotopic geochemistry can identify the product’s “fingerprint” as products inherit the isotopic characteristics of the soil, water, and climate in which they are grown and produced. This identifies the geographical origin in quantitative terms within the complex systems of the modern food chain. This is a “Mother Nature’s Barcode” in food. Therefore, the “NatureBarcode” project will contribute to the branding of the Graviera Naxou PDO product of EAS Naxos by placing it on the international map of products produced concerning consumer protection in terms of product quality, food security and value of the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean diet.
