Coalition to drive global food safety efforts with blockchain platform initiated in China
Nestlé, Wal-Mart Stores, Unilever, Dole and Tyson Foods, among others, collaborate with IBM on raising food supply chain standards worldwide
Every year, one-in-10 people fall ill and 400,000 die because of contaminated food, according to recent estimates by the World Health Organisation.
Ten of the world’s largest food industry suppliers, retailers and service providers are now looking to strengthen consumer confidence in the global food system by forming a coalition to revolutionise safety across their industry’s supply chain, using a blockchain technology platform conceived in mainland China.
Consortium members Nestlé, Wal-Mart Stores, Unilever, Dole, Kroger, Golden State Foods, McCormick and Company, Driscoll’s, McLane Company and Tyson Foods have agreed to collaborate with IBM Corp on that initiative, following trials initiated last year on the mainland to step up domestic food safety reform efforts.
“Blockchain technology enables a new era of end-to-end transparency in the global food system – equivalent to shining a light on food ecosystem participants – that will further promote responsible actions and behaviours,” Frank Yiannas, vice-president for food safety at Walmart, told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday.
“I believe this coalition marks an important milestone in the development of technology to help raise global food safety standards.”