food traceability on blockchain walmart pork and mango pilots with ibm

Food Traceability on Blockchain: Walmart Pork and Mango Pilots with IBM

Food traceability is a critical aspect of the food supply chain, as it enables consumers to track the origin and journey of their food from farm to fork. With increasing concerns about food safety and quality, as well as the growing complexity of the global food supply chain, the adoption of blockchain technology has been on the rise. In this article, we will explore Walmarts collaboration with IBM on blockchain-based food traceability pilots for pork and mangoes, and the potential benefits and challenges of this innovative approach.

Walmart's Pork Pilot

In 2018, Walmart partnered with IBM and other stakeholders to implement a blockchain-based food traceability system for pork in the United States. The system, called Food Trust, aims to provide consumers with complete transparency throughout the supply chain, from the farm to the supermarket shelf. By using blockchain technology, all participants in the supply chain can easily share and store data, ensuring that the original information remains intact and accessible.

The Food Trust system has so far shown promising results, with consumers being able to track the origin and quality of their pork products more easily. This has led to increased consumer trust and satisfaction, as well as improved efficiency and accountability throughout the supply chain.

Walmart's Mango Pilot

In 2020, Walmart expanded its blockchain-based food traceability efforts to include mangoes. The mango pilot, which covers a network of more than 400 mango farms and suppliers in Thailand, aims to provide consumers with similar transparency and control over the quality and origin of their mangoes. By using blockchain technology, the farmers and suppliers can easily share and store data, ensuring that the original information remains intact and accessible.

The benefits of blockchain-based food traceability

1. Enhanced transparency: Blockchain technology allows for easy tracking and sharing of data throughout the supply chain, ensuring that consumers have complete transparency over the origin and quality of their food products.

2. Improved efficiency: By eliminating manual processes and increasing the speed and accuracy of data sharing, blockchain-based food traceability can significantly improve efficiency throughout the supply chain.

3. Reduced risk of fraud and contamination: By providing consumers with complete transparency and control over the origin and quality of their food products, blockchain-based food traceability can help reduce the risk of fraud and contamination in the food supply chain.

4. Increased accountability: By allowing all participants in the supply chain to easily access and share data, blockchain-based food traceability can increase accountability and accountability throughout the supply chain.

Challenges and future prospects

Despite the potential benefits of blockchain-based food traceability, there are still several challenges to overcome. These include the need for widespread adoption and acceptance of blockchain technology, as well as the ongoing development and improvement of blockchain-based solutions to better accommodate the complex and dynamic nature of the food supply chain.

Walmart's collaboration with IBM on blockchain-based food traceability pilots for pork and mangoes is a promising step towards a more transparent, efficient, and accountable global food supply chain. As the adoption of blockchain technology continues to grow, it is expected that more companies and industries will follow suit, leading to increased consumer trust and satisfaction as well as improved food safety and quality. However, challenges such as widespread adoption and ongoing development of blockchain-based solutions must be addressed to fully harness the potential of this innovative technology.