Carrefour kicks off blockchain food traceability drive
Summary
The retail chain, which operates more than 12,000 stores in 33 countries, will initially use blockchain across Carrefour-branded products, and this is expected to expand to all Carrefour brands worldwide by 2022.Unlike traditional databases, the attributes of blockchain and the ability to permission data enables network members to gain a new level of trusted information, it says.The retailer worked with IBM to develop a set of programming interfaces to provide machine-to-machine collection of data through its supply chain that can be appended to the blockchain.“ Blockchain is a way to extend the package onto a smartphone to reassure the customer that a chicken has been raised by a particular farmer, and give some advice on the farmer’s GM [genetic modification] policy,” says Delerm.Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice-president, clients, platforms and blockchain at IBM Global Industries, says: “The currency of trust today is transparency, and achieving this in the area of food safety happens when responsibility is shared.”