With today’s increasingly complex supply chain, brands face an even greater challenge to ensure only the best and safest version of their products reach consumers. Food products see many handlers between creation and distribution before even reaching the consumer, which naturally incites more opportunity for quality and safety issues to occur, potentially leading to recalls and other major health concerns. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration1 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, recorded a total of 456 food recalls in the U.S. in 20172.
Other challenges lie in assuring proper documentation of each step of the supply chain. Without these measures, information can get lost and severely compromise a brand’s image. The current supply chain system does not always allow consumers and other stakeholders to distinguish the true value or origin of food products adequately. Without assigning dedicated, traceable values to these products, it can be difficult for third parties to verify at what point in the supply chain the issue may have arisen. However, awareness of a potential solution—blockchain technology—is rapidly surfacing. In fact, nearly six out of 10 large corporations are considering using blockchain3.