Blockchain: The Latest Innovation In Food Traceability
Today the ability to trace a product or the entire food chain of an animal intended for food is of paramount importance. Thanks to the technological innovations of recent years, the blockchain is now considered an essential technology in the field of food traceability.
Why is food traceability important?
Much of the food industry’s problems – such as cross-contamination or food safety – are compounded by a lack of information and traceability.
It is not easy to identify a form of contamination in the food chain with traditional methods. It can take days or months, thus increasing costs and health risks with the only result of having to throw away the food suspected of being contaminated.
Investing in modern traceability methods has been shown to reduce the time it takes to locate a product in the production chain. Thanks to traceability, it is possible to immediately identify which supermarkets a food is in and withdraw it from the market if it becomes contaminated.
Blockchain: the latest trend in food traceability
The blockchain is a technology that is based on the storage and transmission of data through blocks of information. The transfer of information is encrypted and very reliable. In this way, we can know all the information concerning a specific food product.
The use of blockchain technology allows us to have a secure and transparent database. Therefore, it considers itself a technology in which “truth” is built, reached and strengthened by the members who are part of it.
How does blockchain technology apply to the food chain?
The blockchain system allows us to have all the information relating to each link in the food chain. It is in this way that all information on a specific food can be obtained in a transparent way.
Blockchain technology allows a consumer to know all the stages of the production chain of a food. In this way, the highest levels of food safety and transparency are achieved.
Livestock traceability: from farm to table
With blockchain technology it is possible to know how and where animals were raised and which animal will arrive on your tables.
Traceability of fish: from fishing to your tables
The same goes for fish products. You will know the fishing area of the fish or the farm from which it comes, the species, whether it is fresh or thawed, etc.
How can the final consumer use blockchain technology ?
The foods to which this technology applies are marketed like any other product. But on their label there will be a QR code that can be scanned by any smartphone. In this way, the consumer will be able to have all the information relating to the product he is buying in a few seconds.
In the case of swordfish, for example, it will be possible to know:
- Which ship caught it.
- The coordinates of the fishing area.
- The fishing technique used.
- The fish market from which it comes.
- How the fish was preserved.
- When the delivery to the supermarket took place.
Many large supermarket chains plan to use this technology to label the products on their shelves.
