Auchan, who led the first tests in Vietnam in collaboration with the German start-up Te-Food, said that it will introduce technology to its operations in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Senegal.
"From seed to plate, information on all stages of a product's life is now available to consumers in a completely transparent manner"The company said.
A collaborative initiative that guarantees food security
Blockchain technology is implemented by all participants involved in the various stages of a product's life, from the moment a seed is supplied by a seed producer to the moment a product reaches the plate. Each manufacturer, processor, logistics operator and distributor records all relevant product information on a single platform.
This ensures traceability from one end of the supply chain to the other, Auchan explained. When the product arrives in the store, customers can immediately access all this information by scanning a QR code printed on the product label.
This reinforces transparency, quality and food security, said Auchan. Consumers can access information on the precise origin and route of products they consume in a completely transparent manner. In the meantime, all participants in the supply chain can reliably guarantee that each item is of the highest quality.
Successful test in Vietnam
In order to implement blockchain technology in all countries where Auchan operates, and therefore in very different food security environments, the group has decided to try the Vietnam process with Te-Food, using a public known blockchain solution as a food chain.
In Vietnam, the blockchain solution was completely introduced through three interfaces. The first is an inventory management tool that allows local competent authorities to verify the problems of certificates by farms. The second is a business-to-business application through which the various operators in the supply chain can provide data on product traceability. And the third is a business-to-consumer application that allows consumers to access information about the product life cycle to the point where it reaches the store.
Launched as part of a government project in Ho Chi Minh City, the tests carried out by Auchan Retail Vietnam were "A big success", The company has concluded.
It is currently used on 18,000 pigs, 200,000 chickens and 2.5 million eggs and will soon be used for aubergines, mangoes and durian fruit.
Case study: carrots in France
Blockchain technology has already been introduced in France for the organic carrot supply chain.
After the carrots have been harvested from the various farm lots of Larrère & Fils, they are transported to the processing area in boxes with RFID tags that trace their route. Carrots are separated in batches based on the parcels from which they were harvested.
The dynamic QR code is then printed on the package. This QR code contains all the information issued by RFID tags along with information that is gradually enriched by the various participants in the supply chain. This includes any phytosanitary treatment carried out on carrots, any specific characteristics of the product and taste attributes, etc.
These data, which can not be changed, continue to be inserted in the blockchain until the moment the product arrives in the store.
Consumers can scan the QR code on the package to get all the information about the product stored in the blockchain. In order to ensure maximum transparency, customers can also verify the data with the public blockchain technology used (FoodChain).
International distribution
The use of blockchain will be distributed to the French supplier of potatoes and chicken of the retailer respectively in December and February.
In Italy, the blockchain will be introduced in the supply chains of tomatoes and chickens and in Spain will cover Iberian pork products and locally grown exotic fruits, before being introduced into the supply chain of chickens in Portugal and Senegal .
"The flexible and versatile solution developed by Te-Food is in line with the global local initiative of Auchan Retail, adapting to the traceability tools already in use in the various countries in which it operates and thanks to a certain level of interoperability between various blockchain technologies (both public and private) currently used in the market, local practices can be quickly and respectfully unrolled, "Auchan concluded.