IBM and Walmart Launch Blockchain-Based Food Safety Alliance for China

A year ago, Bitcoin magazine reported that Walmart was testing the use of distributed accounting technology (DLT) for supply chain management in the food industry, with the goal of tracking and tracking pork in China and producing in The United States: two products with high volume categories within the largest markets in the world.

The final project, a collaboration between Walmart, Tsinghua University in Beijing and IBM, investigated the use of DLT to generate transparency and efficiency in the maintenance of supply chain records, helping to improve food safety and piloting the use of Blockchain technology, including pork in China and mangoes in the USA. UU., As it progressed in the supply chain to the shelves of stores. Recent Walmart tests showed that the DLT application reduced the time needed to track a package of mangoes from the farm to the store from days or weeks to two seconds.

In August, IBM and Walmart launched a partnership with a consortium of the global food industry, which includes Nestlé and Unilever, to identify new areas where the global supply chain can benefit from the use of blockchains. The IBM Blockchain Platform, available through IBM Cloud, is expected to play an important role in the project.

Last week, IBM announced the launch of Blockchain Food Safety Alliance, formed in conjunction with Walmart, the National Engineering Laboratory of Tsinghua University for Electronic Commerce Technologies and the Chinese electronic retailer JD.com (which is the largest trading company electronic in China and the country's largest retailer by revenue). The alliance will collaborate to improve food tracking, traceability and safety in China, achieving greater transparency throughout the food supply chain.

"Blockchain is incredibly promising by providing the transparency needed to help promote food safety throughout the supply chain," said Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president of IBM Industry Platforms, in the announcement. "This is a fundamental reason why IBM strongly believes in the impact that this technology will have on business models: by expanding our food security work with Walmart and Tsinghua University in China and adding new collaborators like JD.com, the technology It brings traceability and transparency to a wider network of participants in the food supply chain. "

The four Blockchain Food Safety Alliance partners will work with food suppliers and regulators to develop standards and solutions for food safety in China. IBM will provide its IBM Blockchain platform and its experience, and Tsinghua University will act as technical advisor. IBM and Tsinghua will collaborate with Walmart and JD.com to develop, optimize and implement DLT solutions for supply chain management and security in the food industry.

"As a global advocate for improved food safety, Walmart hopes to deepen our work with IBM, Tsinghua University, JD and others throughout the food supply chain," said Frank Yiannas, vice president of food safety and health at Walmart. "Through collaboration, standardization and adoption of new and innovative technologies, we can effectively improve traceability and transparency and help ensure that the global food system remains safe for all."

New suppliers and retailers are expected to join the alliance to share information and choose DLT solutions that are suitable for them and compatible with their legacy systems. It is also expected that the knowledge acquired from work in China can be used to develop DLT solutions for traceability in the food industry around the world.

"Tsinghua University is committed to deep research into food safety, one of the most important areas to improve the quality of life in China and around the world," said Professor Yueting Chai of the National Laboratory of Engineering Technologies. Electronic Commerce in Tsinghua. College. "We have already worked with IBM and Walmart to create a new food traceability model, using blockchain [technology] to support the transparency and auditability of the supply chain, and we see this new cooperation as an important step in this endeavor."