Blockchain Technology in Food & Drink

Recently, Salmonella was found in some of the poultry used to make a number of products that contained chicken, prompting a major food manufacturer in the UK to recall these items. While the inquiry is ongoing, more goods were also recalled as a precaution.

In the UK, this is hardly the only incidence. According to the CDC, salmonella germs cause roughly 1.35 million illnesses, 2650 hospitalizations, and 420 fatalities just in the United States each year. Salmonella species are responsible for 93.8 million cases of gastroenteritis worldwide each year. According to estimates, 80.3 million of these cases were foodborne.

Salmonella is not the only bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Numerous other deadly bacteria and viruses can lead to serious health conditions. Listeria is one among them. Listeria outbreaks linked to Ice cream, fish, meat and cheese was found by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in recent times.

Why Salmonella, Listeria Outbreaks Occur So Frequently through Food & Drink?

Lack of transparency in the food supply chain is the main reason for such food borne diseases. The person who consumes the food as well as the one who sell it are ignorant of number of factors, including the supply chain participants, the environment in which the ingredients were processed, where the ingredients were grown, who grew them for them, and much more.

They should have the option to confirm the quality checks & certifications (such as sustainable, cruelty-free, vegan, organic product, FSA certification, etc…) offered by the product rather than trusting anything that is labelled on it.

A food company alone can’t resolve the issue. For that, the entire food supply chain should take action. Most food producers only have visibility to tier 1 suppliers and they have limited knowledge of rest of their supply chain. They don’t know the suppliers in the lower tiers and the connection between them. Ignoring the data transparency in the supply chain can lead to serious problems on the go.

As a result, food supply chain demands a comprehensive system to trace the entire journey of a product. This not only benefit the consumer, but also make it possible for the manufacturer/store to market a product with confidence.

How Can Companies Fix Lack of Transparency in Food Supply Chain?

Knowing all the supply chain actors and their actions is the first step in establishing transparency in the network. In the traditional approach, recording of all these data require bulk paper works and human effort. It is indeed a time consuming and complex process. It’s high time to implement an efficient system in the food supply chain for better risk management.

One of the latest trends in the technological world known as `Blockchain’ is the ideal solution for this problem.  Blockchain keeps a distributed ledger of immutable information about a product dating back to its inception. Customers can have confidence in the products they purchase, and we can minimise health risks such as Salmonella virus attacks.

By incorporating blockchain technology into the supply chain network, network participants can ensure the quality of their product by tracing the journey of the ingredients they use. As a result, Blockchain Technology can ensure transparency in the food and beverage industry.

About the Author: Written by the TrackGenesis team, led by Rajesh Kumar Plamthottathil, Founder and CEO. Based at ONE Tech Hub, Schoolhill, Aberdeen, Scotland. 15 specialist blockchain developers, 39 collective blockchain certifications. Builders of Web3 Sandpit, TG-Certicheck, blockchain supply chain, food traceability, and e-waste solutions, renewable energy, oil and gas across Scotland and the UK.