Blockchain
Blockchain collaboration in the food industry
May 3, 2021 | Written by: Frode Langmoen
Categorized: Blockchain | Sustainability
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The IBM Food Trust is now making the first Swedish blockchain beer available, in which the entire production process can be verified and tracked. The production is by Ängöl brewery and the project Helt Spårat has been possible through the traceability integrator Foodchain by Blockchain and the trading platform Skira. The purpose is to be able to completely document a consumer product using blockchain technology through all processes, from the time the first malt grain is sown until the beer is bottled.
There are many advantages to Blockchain technology
Blockchain is relatively unused in food production, but there are many advantages to the technology that allow several players to share the same data in an unbroken chain. The company Foodchain by Blockchain is one of the first players in the world to use the technology to document the processes at farm level and then pass on data further up the production chain.
With a whole new level of communication between farmers, suppliers and brewers, the end consumer can also easily take part in Helt Spårat’s production chain, manufacturing process and the complete history of the product, just by scanning the QR code on the bottle.
Two important players behind the technology are IBM Food Trust and the digital trading platform Skira
Our blockchain-based solution, IBM Food Trust, enables a safer, smarter and more sustainable food ecosystem. We want to develop traceability in the food industry and IBM Food Trust is today the world’s only major traceability system with blockchain technology.
Another important player in Helt Spårat is the digital trading platform Skira, which initiated the project. They offer a full-service platform for trading in grain and have been able to share the information in the project digitally and integrated. At their digital trading venue, the quality of the grain is displayed before sale and during transport, an extra analysis sample is taken, which enables buyers to find lots that suit them.
The entire chain is visible and can verify data, from farm to shop
That we have managed to make the entire chain visible and can verify data, from farm to shop, is what makes this project so interesting. Much of the added value that consumers are interested in is created on the farm.
A collaboration between global, regional and local players with cutting-edge technology
Foodchain by Blockchain and Skira are both also part of IBM’s Startup with IBM Accelerator program, which shows what a collaboration between global players with cutting-edge technology and innovative regional players with a local presence can achieve.
“Traceability, transparency and ‘storytelling’ are on everyone’s lips in all industries, but perhaps above all in food production. The blockchain offers completely new opportunities in the area. For us, this is the first product on the market in a hopefully long line and we have more launches in the pipeline. Right now, we are developing the system intensively,” says Cecilia Ryegård, CEO of Foodchain by Blockchain
“Skira’s vision is an optimal and sustainable trade in crops. Our goal is to connect consumers closer to farmers with the help of digitalisation and information made available from the farms. Heltspårat.se is a first step in demonstrating the level of information that consumers should be able to take part in in future products. Traceability is the key to sustainable farms also becoming profitable,” says Jacob Morén, COO at Skira.
Read more about IBM’s Startup with IBM Accelerator-program
More information about IBM Food Trust
Technology Executive, ISV & Developer Relations IBM Nordic
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