RETAILL – REtail using Technology based on Artificial InteLLigence
Brief and project description
Project Name: RETAILL — REtail using Technology based on Artificial InteLLigence
Reference: COMPETE2030-FEDER-00386800
Programme: Innovation and Digital Transition Programme (COMPETE 2030) / Portugal 2030
Duration: 36 months (July 2024 – June 2027)
Partners:
- Retail Consult (KSR) — National lead
- Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP) — International lead
- Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP/LIACC)
Coordination at E2S: Prof. Matilde Alexandra Rodrigues, PhD
RETAILL arises from the urgent need to transform the food supply chain — a system currently based on a linear model that generates enormous inefficiencies and waste. The FAO estimates that the world loses around USD 400 billion in food every year between harvest and distribution, a problem with a direct impact at the economic, environmental and social levels. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Target 12.3), which set the goal of halving food losses by 2030, RETAILL proposes a concrete and scalable technological response.
The project develops a modular platform that combines the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), highly adaptable to the reality of the food supply chain in most countries. The solution brings together, in a single platform, three dimensions that are usually addressed in isolation: the quality of fresh products, the reduction of excess inventory, and the management of surplus products.
The platform's main features include optimised logistics management and the suggestion of better distribution routes, real-time tracking of raw materials and products, a freshness index for assessing fruit quality, monitoring of environmental indicators and food life-cycle assessment (LCA), as well as risk management and response to disruptions in the supply chain.
Beyond its technological impact, RETAILL has a strong economic-inclusion component: by creating a network among all stakeholders in the value chain, the project aims to empower small producers and retailers — particularly those located in low-income territories — by strengthening their bargaining power. End consumers also benefit from access to fresher, safer and higher-quality products.
The consortium behind the project brings together the industrial expertise of Retail Consult, the applied-research capacity of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (through its School of Health), and the AI and engineering know-how of FEUP/LIACC, ensuring an interdisciplinary, results-oriented approach with real impact on the agri-food and distribution sector.