Blockchain and food: IBM joins forces with industry giants to target contamination

23 Aug 2017 --- A group of companies across the global food supply chain are to adopt IBM's blockchain technology in a bid to prevent contaminated food from reaching consumers. Walmart, Nestlé and Unilever are among the companies that IBM has announced a partnership with that will see the consortium adopt a blockchain solution to prevent food contamination.

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology (DLT) originally conceptualized to facilitate the trading of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Blockchain allows the tracking of digital assets so that a level of trust can be established and previous transactions agreed upon.

IBM said that many of the issues impacting food safety are magnified by lack of access to information and traceability. Foods that are contaminated or contain foodborne illness and waste result in fatalities each year. 

Nestlé, Unilever, Walmart, Tyson Foods, Dole, Driscoll's, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick and McLane Company will work with IBM to identify new areas where the global supply chain can benefit from blockchain.

“Blockchain is ideally suited to help address these challenges because it establishes a trusted environment for all transactions,” IBM said in a statement. “In the case of the global food supply chain, all participants – growers, suppliers, processors, distributors, retailers, regulators, and consumers – can gain permission access to known and trusted information regarding the origin and state of food for their transactions.”

IBM Blockchain, the enterprise offering launched in March, will allow the consortium to trace contaminated product to its source in a short amount of time.

Last month, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), alongside competitor Westpac, announced the completion of a blockchain-based trial with IBM.