THE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOWARD THE ETHICS OF FOOD SAFETY

Abstract

Food safety is a core concern of the European Union in terms of the related legal provisions and of the importance that is given to it. While the food labeling system is already standardized to a large extent, there are areas that still need improvement. In this article, we will present the existing labeling standards, highlight the issues that these standards are facing, identify the possibilities of improvement for the food labeling system and propose a concrete way of using Information Technology to benefit the ethics of food safety. Starting off from the current technological capabilities and from the need to improve the labeling system, we will integrate the Quick Response code technology into a new software architecture able to resolve some of the issues identified. The software architecture relies on a relational data model and on web services that are integrated into an Android application, so that consumers may benefit from additional useful information when they must make a buying decision concerning food products. Our architectural proposal also involves smart information integration with health insurance systems in order to increase the usefulness of the data displayed on food labels.