Kicking off HAMTRACE in Barcelona!

Kicking off HAMTRACE in Barcelona!

Europe for Business joins HAMTRACE to strengthen trust, traceability, and innovation in Europe’s premium food sector

Barcelona, Spain – January 2026

Europe for Business (EFB) is proud to announce its participation in HAMTRACE, a new Horizon Europe project funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Staff Exchanges (MSCA-SE) programme, officially launched in Barcelona this month.

HAMTRACE – Advancing European Dry-Cured Ham Value Chains with Data-Driven Authentication and Global Traceability Standards – brings together universities, research infrastructures, industry associations, SMEs, and digital innovators to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in Europe’s agri-food sector: food fraud and lack of reliable traceability.

Coordinated by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the project will develop a next-generation traceability framework combining:

Elemental and isotopic fingerprinting
Artificial intelligence and hyperspectral imaging
Blockchain-based secure data systems
Smart digital tagging technologies

Together, these tools will provide scientific proof of authenticity, enabling producers to protect PDO/PGI products and consumers to trust what they buy.

EFB’s role in HAMTRACE

As a specialist in EU innovation management, communication, and market uptake, Europe for Business will lead:

Dissemination and communication activities
Stakeholder and industry engagement
Exploitation and impact strategies
Knowledge transfer between research and market
Alignment with EU policy frameworks and regulations

Through outreach events, training activities, and collaboration with producers, regulators, and SMEs, EFB will ensure that HAMTRACE solutions move beyond the laboratory into real-world adoption.

Leonardo Piccinetti and Donatella Santoro, representing Europe for Business in the consortium, commented:

“Innovation only creates impact when it reaches the people who need it most. At EFB, our mission is to bridge research, industry, and policy. HAMTRACE is a perfect example of how science and digital tools can protect European heritage foods while strengthening competitiveness and consumer trust.”

Over the next four years, HAMTRACE will help set new European standards for food authenticity, transparency, and integrity, contributing to the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy.

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Staff Exchanges (Grant Agreement No. 101236645).

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