Some supermarkets are experimenting with blockchain as a way of proving the validity and quality of a product, over and above the assurances made by their supplier. Wal-Mart has used blockchain to track two products in the U.S. and China. Wal-Mart identified improving product traceability—a core component of proving provenance—as an area to monitor.
The benefit of blockchain is that it is almost impossible to commit food fraud. If the original document or transaction is later altered the network would be notified immediately. Records of transactions are not stored in one place, but shared across multiple computers. If the record is changed in one place, the fact that it does not match all other references will be obvious.
The results of this trial are still to be seen. Blockchain may be the answer to proving provenance in the future. An investment in ancillary technology along the length of the supply chain to record each step of the product’s journey will be required.
Immediate Steps in Confirming Provenance
An important benefit of the growth of provenance is that supply chains will become shorter. This is something that experts at City Food Lecture 2017 in London recommend to ensure the quality and safety of food products.
Still an administrative burden will always remain. Where there is an administrative pain there is a software solution that can ease that pain. Making use of a quality management system is a cost-effective way to demonstrate provenance; especially if this quality management system allows suppliers to upload relevant tractability documents directly in to your system.
It may not have the disruptive appeal of blockchain solutions but it is a practical and easily actionable improvement for any business in the supply chain. That’s a small but significant tip to take away.
Sillars is a food and drink marketing executive for Ideagen. Reach her at [email protected].
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