Block chain to track the food supply chain

Author: Sebastian Thelen
Date: 03.07.2018

IBM cooperates with Food Trust block chain

Ten companies, including Walmart, have partnered with IBM. The collaboration will provide a block chain for worldwide tracking of the food supply chain.

The Food Trust block chain includes companies such as Nestlé SA, Dole Food Co., Driscoll’s Inc., Golden State Foods, Kroger Co., McCormick and Co., McLane Co., Tyson Foods Inc. and Unilever NV. The Food Trust block chain has been working with IBM since 2016 to drive the initiative forward. The product was tested together with the companies In August last year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Food Trust aims to help companies identify problems related to product recalls. For example, outbreaks can be determined more quickly, thereby reducing customer risk. The food trust system can store the data of around one million items.

For Frank Yiannas, Walmart Vice President for food safety, the Food Trust block chain is the “equivalent to FedEx tracking for food “: “Real-time data of every single food product is collected at every point.”

Despite the competition from the involved brands, the focus is “working together to increase consumer confidence” said Chris Tyas, global head of the Nestlé supply chain.

Walmart announced to use the block chain for the food business already in April. The Company also has a patent for block chain usage for medical records and block chain-based customer marketplace for the resale of Walmart merchandise.