Summary

Consumer standards in the food retailing field influence to a great extent the applied relations of cooperation of such companies with their suppliers, and contribute in an equally decisive way to the formation of their applied marketing strategies (Peter and Olson, 2009). Although in recent years special emphasis has been given on reducing the selling prices of these products, as a direct consequence of the economic crisis experienced on a national level, it has been stated that food safety issues remain a high priority during the selection process by consumers (Hedberg , 2017). For this reason, a series of audits and certifications are applied, in order to minimize or even eliminate such phenomena (Jedermann et al., 2014). To minimize the risk, which accompanies the food supply chain, mainly of fresh agricultural products, it is necessary for the company to create and implement an innovative system for evaluating the efficiency of the applied protocols tο deal with enemies that can be harmful for public health. Based on the acquired experience of managing fresh agricultural products and food, it is necessary to further strengthen the monitoring system for their storage in local retail stores (Français, 2012).

SMARTSOUTIS project introduces integrated and innovative solutions for all the aforementioned stages of food management, thus further ensuring their safety in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The involved risks are related to spoiling caused by storage insects and fungus that attack them at a second stage. The damage caused by storage insects during the storage of cereals and similar products can be characterized as: α) quantitative deterioration and b) quality degradation in terms of the product and psychological from consumers side. In addition, product returns arising from the presence of warehouse insects, and the imposition of liability based on knowledge of the “source” of the infestation, are also important management issues for retail companies. Most supermarkets do not have trap nets, or if they do, they do not cover the main insects on which the returns are based (beetles) while at the same time the various captures in the trapping devices (e.g. diptera, lepidoptera) are not properly recorded. Consequently, it is imperative to devise and execute strategies that guarantee the absence of these hazards and that the expenses associated with their procurement and maintenance do not pose an impediment. In addition, the adoption of new technologies to enhance food safety will be used as a means of differentiating services provision to consumers (Athanassiou et al., 2011). The need to record consumer beliefs is especially heightened in a period where the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has brought a new reality on a global scale. For this reason, these beliefs should be recorded and analyzed before and after the implementation of the new mechanisms to determine services differentiation and end consumer satisfaction level. The aim is to deal with them in an effective way, at a technical level, and to apply appropriate methodological approaches that will certify the acceptance of these technologies by the consumer public.