Enhancing grape traceability from grower to consumer through GS1 Standards: A case study of the Australian table grape industry

The transition to a decarbonized economy requires companies to adopt mitigation measures. The wine sector is one of the most affected by climate change and, therefore, interested in its mitigation. The question is how this process develops. To address this, we build on a previous study [1], which identified different types of Spanish wineries based on their sustainability approach.

Considering that „prevention requires information”, in 2007, the european education program wine in moderation (wim) started. The common message of responsible and only moderate wine consumption is implemented in each participating country, adapted to national circumstances. In germany, besides recruiting new wim members from the wine sector, the deutsche weinakademie focusses also on information and education of future wine makers and cellar men in professional schools. The seminars cover basic information about the existing legal framework (youth protecting law, drink driving laws, etc.), the self regulation code of conduct for commercial communications (advertising) of alcoholic beverages as well as the health effects of alcoholic beverages, and of wine in particular.

In April 2024, the French official catalog includes 449 grape varieties and rootstocks. In 10 years it has been enriched with 70 varieties. It is an indisputable marker of the interest of professionals in genetic resources of all origins and the expectations they have to prepare the viticulture of the future. The scientific community has now put all irons in the fire and is not neglecting any avenue of adaptation. The regular decline in the use of phytosanitary products and the already marked effects of climate change are the targets of varietal improvement.

In Portugal, the prospection and conservation of representative samples of intra-varietal variability of grapevine has been carried out for 46 years, and in 2010 an infrastructure was created for the conservation of all these genetic resources – the portuguese association for grapevine diversity (porvid) experimental centre for the conservation of grapevine diversity. the aim is to save the genetic identity of ancient varieties to prevent their imminent loss and to preserve the raw material for current and future selections, thus adding economic value and sustainability to the vine and wine sector.

Table grape consumption worldwide has experienced a remarkable growth in the first two decades of the 21st century, becoming the third most consumed fresh fruit in some countries, after bananas and apples. This increase has been attributed to several reasons, including the availability of seedless grapes, which has been a key factor in the increase in consumption.