Block Chain Technology in Food Traceability: A new paradigm in Food Safety Practices

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to understand the importance of Food Traceability in existing food supply chain, logistics and safety management. In the era of information technology, the gaps in current food and agriculture supply chain which possess serious threat to consumer safety can be filled through new emerging technologies like Block chain which will prove beneficial to entire stakeholders in the food chain from farm to fork.

Literature Review: In the preview of existing usage of block chain usage across the industry, primary research was done and existing implementation of block chain in food traceability were studied. Comparative analysis of food supply chains which are traditional in nature was done against the potential benefits of using the block chain in the same. Real time data implementation in the supply chain will increase the trust among the end users but also improve the accountability of various stakeholders present in the supply chain right from producer, processor, distributor, transporter and ultimately the end consumer.  An inquisitive study was done as a part of the secondary research.

Research Findings: The nature of block chain and its implementation is very limited in the current business scenario of food and agriculture supply chain. There are examples available in the different industry segments where implementation of the block chain has significantly reduced the adulteration in the farm to fork supply chain with increased accountability of the stakeholders involved leading to an enhanced customer satisfaction. However lack of regulation from the monitoring agencies, high cost involved in the implementation aspect of block chain is leading to slow progress in the domain.

Implications: The study of this paper identifies the use cases of block chain technology in the area of food traceability and examines how the same are getting the entire end to end supply chain revolutionized both in terms of accountability of stakeholders involved and customer satisfaction. With the rise in consumer expectations in terms of quality of food product they consume and all the real time information they seek to determine the safety of the product makes this imperative for large multinational companies, regulatory agencies to address the issue and scale the technology like block chain which can reduce the problem of adulteration and enhance overall value in the supply chain.

Ingenuity/Value: The support has been taken from the existing literature about application of block chain technology in the various domains, primarily its applicability in the traceability. It gathers insights on how organizations are gaining advantage in the area of customer satisfaction and safety using block chain.