Blockchain technology is no longer just a "search for a solution to a problem". After 18 months of testing, IBM's blockchain-based food traceability platform is now available to retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in the food ecosystem worldwide.
This release marks the first full deployment of an enterprise blockchain network on this scale.
The IBM Food Trust platform, as we know, has been downgraded in trials and proofs of concept in the past—for example, tracking mangoes throughout the supply chain. In September of this year, retail giant Wal-Mart announced that it would begin requiring its suppliers to implement the system to track bagged spinach and lettuce.
But on Monday, IBM announced that its solution-as-a-service cloud platform is now available to all participants in the food supply chain. This move may bring unprecedented visibility and accuracy to the procurement and certification of new products and proteins. .
Among the first adopters are Carrefour-the French retailer has 12,000 stores in 33 countries, the cooperative Topco Associates and Wakefern, the company has more than 15,000 stores worldwide, and suppliers include beef chain stores, Smithfield And Dannick Fruit Company.
Other participants include multinational companies Nestlé, Kroger, Tyson Foods, Kroger and Unilever.
This launch should help quell the criticism that despite the hype about blockchain technology in the past two years, the technology offers few real-world use cases except for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
In addition, the de-siloing and collaboration methods required by the companies participating in the platform will give us a preliminary view of the future distributed and network-based business model.
Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president of IBM Global Industry, Platforms and Blockchain, explained: “Today, the currency of trust is transparent. When the responsibility is shared, this goal will be achieved in the field of food safety.†He added: "This approach to collaboration is how members of the IBM Food Trust Company demonstrate that blockchain can enhance transparency and promote meaningful enhancements to food traceability. Ultimately, this provides commercial benefits for participants and consumers Provides better and safer products."
Value proposition
Brigid McDermott, vice president of IBM Food Trust, explained that the reason for solving this problem is that it successfully overcomes five key obstacles that hinder the realization of enterprise blockchain.
These include establishing an ecosystem, creating a business model that adds value to all parties, implementing a governance structure to protect data and access rights, ensuring interoperability and standardization for integration with other platforms, and in battle-tested Build a system based on enterprise technology.
Addressing all these areas is essential to ensure that all participants in the ecosystem-whether producers, wholesalers or retailers-can get a return on investment from participating, although some participants may achieve greater value than others , The production speed is also faster.
"After all, you can't force people to do things that are not in their own interests. There must be a basic return on investment to join." McDermott told Forbes. "From the beginning, we have the driving force of'what is the return on investment of different market segments?'"
The value generated can be in monetary or non-monetary form. For example, the retailer’s secretary-general Laurent Vallée explained that participating in the consortium will become the basic pillar of the Carrefour Food Company Accountability Act project, adding: “As a founding member of the IBM Food Trust platform, Carrefour is vigorously accelerating and expanding the blockchain. An excellent opportunity for technology to integrate with our products in order to provide our customers with safe and unquestionable traceability."
Recall the solution to the dilemma
Perhaps most importantly, the traceability provided by IBM Food Trust has improved the efficiency of the entire industry through the ability to identify and locate specific products. This process is very expensive, wasteful and challenging.
Last week, the U.S. recalled 6.5 million pounds of beef due to the salmonella panic. According to reports, this is the largest recall order in history. Being able to track and determine the location of a beef package, and target the recall of those products that are particularly affected, which will greatly reduce food waste and improve consumer welfare and confidence.
"We use the term "supply chain", but we all know that it is not a real supply chain. McDermott explained: "The way food is supplied to any one of us is not linear - it's an interconnection. A network of companies, retailers and suppliers. "
"For consumers, this means that recalls are no longer a threat tactic. This is what they have experienced in the past and it is what they must do."
Who can use it?
Another important aspect of the food trust ecosystem is that its design includes not only retailers and suppliers, but also other third parties that come into contact with the food supply, such as technology suppliers.
The network is built on Hyperledger Fabric and is designed to be compatible with GS1 (a standard framework used by many food industries) to ensure maximum interoperability in its traceability system.
"Although IBM is a big company with huge technology, we don't do everything. The other players have done a great job there," McDermott said.
For example, Dole works with a growth partner called "Central City" on this platform to link audit data with the blockchain.
Natalie Dyenson, Dole’s Vice President of Food Safety and Quality, said: “By simplifying farm and front office reports and putting data on the blockchain, the IBM Food Trust has helped Dole in our suppliers and partners in a cost-effective manner. Unleash the value of compliance data."
Other third parties involved include 3M, which is enabling food safety diagnostic equipment to communicate with the blockchain; Emerson is using its cold chain technology to provide and track temperature information throughout the food transportation process.
The food trust platform consists of three modules. The tracking module facilitates the tracking of food in the entire ecosystem and across national borders, the certification module verifies the origin of the product, the digital certification is organic and fair trade, and the data entry and access module enables growers and supply chain intermediaries to upload, manage, and Access their data.
The price of the tracking and authentication module starts at US$100 per month, and the classification is different for small, medium and large enterprises. Data entry and access modules can be used free of charge.
McDermott believes that, taking into account, the transformative impact of this on the food industry and society will not be trivial: "I am not a food safety expert, I am a former McKinsey consultant, but I have not seen anything as powerful as blockchain. tool.
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