Blockchain Gains Steam Amid Food Tracking Initiatives

As blockchain continues to make inroads into supply chain tracking, various companies in the food and produce industry have been leveraging distributed ledger technology (DLT) to source and monitor “farm-to-table” activity.

Among recent examples, as reported in Forbes, Migros, Switzerland’s biggest supermarket chain, has put in place a blockchain food tracking initiative. The system is being put in place in conjunction with TE Food, according to reports. In a release, the companies said that, according to Migros, the joint efforts will bring added value to points along the supply chain, for example in tracking food sustainability and transparency.

According to the release, Migros “wants to achieve deeper supply chain insight to optimize its processes. Supply chain optimization can lead to quicker distribution and reduced food waste, which is also part of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) initiatives for the next years.” The traceability data is automatically sent to the food giant’s system, though the release said that opening the data toward consumers is “out of the project’s scope.”

Separately, CoinTelegraph reported that the automotive supplier Continental has debuted an app that as the name “Earn as You Drive” lets users monetize data tried to their driving habits. The company has partnered with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and open source network provider Crossbar.io to let users earn digital currency. The information provided and shared to providers, centers on-street parking availability.

The app is tied to Continental’s blockchain-based Data Monetization Platform. The move follows other earnings programs such as that offered up by Jaguar Land Rover, which is linked with the Iota Foundation. That program is being tested in Ireland, and under its guidelines, users receive IOTA cryptocurrency as they provide data.

Shipment Tracking

In Thailand, news comes that there are ongoing integrations of IBM and Maersk’s blockchain-based tracking procedures, according to The Bangkok Post. The publication reported last week that the Customs Department of Thailand will adopt TradeLens to receive notifications about shipping containers. Data will convey when goods have left their point of origin and allow the customs department to prepare for the arrival of those goods.

As has been reported, TradeLens is the logistics platform jointly supported by IBM and Maersk and has more than 90 companies in its membership roster.

The TradeLens support in Thailand comes as a result of the country’s Thailand 4.0 policy. The Post said that Thailand now takes its place as the second member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to use the platform, following Singapore.

In an interview with the Post, Patama Chantaruck, vice president for Indochina expansion and managing director of IBM Thailand, said blockchain will help modernize trade.

“TradeLens will provide the Thai Customs Department with an automatic and immutable tracking tool, which will lead to a more secure, transparent, efficient and simpler workflow, with near real-time information sharing from a diverse network of ecosystem members,” she said.

The TradeLens platform will first be implemented in Thailand at a Chon Buri port, and later in Bangkok, said the Post.