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While many Roman lettuce growers and sellers are still recovering from the consequences of an E. coli epidemic that caused a national day of warning before Thanksgiving, many experts say the whole thing could have avoided using the blockchain.
Brigid McDermott, vice president of IBM's blockchain food trust unit, tells FOX Business that the company believes that technology has the potential to transform the way the food industry works from one end to the next. other, from the farm to the consumers.
"When it comes to food safety, blockchain allows our solution to address both the human and financial costs – IBM believes that technology will lead to measurable reductions in both, and we should see fewer people get sick from the food they eat, while companies they will be able to manage their activities more efficiently, "says McDermott.
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Why will it work?
He says that the main advantages of blockchain are trust, transparency and efficiency, and when the technology is applied to the food supply chain, all the information on the digital product, like the details of origin of the farm, the numbers By batch, factory and processing data, expiration dates, storage temperatures and shipping details, are digitally linked to foods and information is entered into the blockchain throughout the process.
"Every piece of information provides critical data points that could be quickly used to address food safety issues," he adds, noting that traditionally, documentation in the food supply chain has been largely manual, which can potentially lead to errors.
By automating the registration of the transaction via blockchain, all the people involved will have access to the information in real time.
"For example, Walmart conducted a test in which he traced a packet of sliced mangoes from the store shelf to the farm, using traditional methods, this track took more than six days after the IBM Food Trust ended. , the solution was able to identify the exact source of the fruit in 2.2 seconds.This could be the difference between life and death and the greatest financial loss in case of a recall due to contamination ".
IBM has already partnered with large food suppliers like Dole, Nestle and Walmart to help chains better regulate their food security using its technology.
Earlier this week, supermarket giant Auchan announced that it is implementing blockchain in five countries to minimize international food fraud and epidemic.
Tuesday, another huge booster was announced by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that is taking over 12 million pounds of raw meat products from store shelves to concerns about salmonella.
McDermott adds that while these contaminations are not predictable, it is still crucial that we come together to create a solution that addresses the whole food ecosystem at the same time.
