Food Technology Magazine | Applied Science

Moving Beyond Industry 4.0

In this column, the authors explore the transformative concepts of Industry 4.0, Quality 4.0, and Food Quality 4.0, focusing on their applications in food safety and quality management.

By John Spink, Archana Patil

August 8, 2025

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0, marks a transformative shift in global industries driven by rapid technological advancements. At its core, Industry 4.0 integrates digital and physical systems through technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), cyber-physical systems, and cloud computing (UNIDO 2020). These technologies have enabled interconnected systems that collect, analyze, and act on data in real time. This transfo…

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About the Authors

John W. Spink, PhD, is director, Food Fraud Prevention Academy and assistant professor, Department of Supply Chain Management, Business College, Michigan State University (spinkj@msu.edu).

Archana Patil, MS, is global food safety and quality manager, The Hershey Company (arcchana42@gmail.com).