IBM Announces New Food Traceability Program

A group of companies in the global food chain announced a partnership with IBM intended to give consumers more confidence in the global food system.  The group includes companies like Walmart, Nestle, Tyson Foods, and many others.  They’ll work with IBM to find areas in the global supply food chain that can benefit from the IBM program Blockchain.

According to IBM, one in four people falls ill, and 400,000 die, from contaminated foods every year.  Many of the issues affecting food safety, including cross contamination and food-borne illness, are made worse by a lack of access to information and traceability.

In the event of a problem, it can often take many weeks to identify the point of contamination.  Big Blue said Blockchain is one place that can hold information on the origins and state of the food in transactions throughout the food chain.  This platform can enable food suppliers to trace a contaminated product back to its source more quickly, ensuring safe removal from grocery store shelves and halting any additional spread of illness.

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