What role does blockchain technology play in food traceability and safety control?
Food safety is always a top concern today. However, with the complexity of the food supply chain, tracing the origin and ensuring food safety is difficult. Blockchain technology has emerged as a potential solution to this problem.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that strengthening food safety systems is fundamental to health and international trade. Food consumption is changing in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region due to rapid population growth, changing diets, urbanization and rising disposable incomes. These changes mean that the region will be under pressure to provide enough safe and healthy agricultural products to feed everyone.
Although the food market is expected to be worth $722.20 billion by 2024, tracking meals to protect people in the region is essential.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines food traceability as the ability to follow food through its stages from production to processing and distribution. It is a control system to ensure quality and prevent contamination in meals.
If a health risk occurs at any stage, there needs to be a mechanism to identify and trace back the supply chain to find out which food item does not meet food safety, regulatory and industry standards. Blockchain technology, a decentralized disruptive technology, can support this process.
Blockchain is a distributed digital ledger linked into blocks, storing information in a secure, untraceable chain. For companies in the industry, improved traceability will enhance their brand image and help them comply with industry regulations. Furthermore, it allows them to better manage their inventory as they can identify the source of contamination and avoid constant food recalls.
How is blockchain technology being applied to improve food traceability?
In 2020, 18.8% of Southeast Asians were moderately or severely food insecure. Tracking food through blockchain can help maintain a registry of records of the ingredients used to produce food, the quality of seeds and fertilizers used, among other factors. The technology tracks every transaction along the chain and stores the records securely. Furthermore, users benefit from an untraceable system that allows them to gain transparency in tracking every step of the meal lifecycle.
As a result, experts can identify the source of contaminated food and immediately remove it from the market. They can also reduce costs by making processes more efficient. Climate change and extreme weather patterns are also complex, and using technology can show where the quality of food products is being affected.
The technology also keeps information secure and prevents data privacy breaches. No one can go back and change records, which means food quality assessors can spot where contamination issues are.
Leveraging blockchain technology to ensure food quality and health for people
Implementing a new system to ensure food safety and traceability is more complex. Maintenance costs are high, users must perform in-depth data analysis, and their results must comply with industry regulations. In addition, each country in the ASEAN region has its own regulations. This means that each country must try to adjust itself to the policies of other countries in the region.
To ensure food quality, they need to check the valid documents from suppliers, origins and raw materials, etc. More investment is needed to improve traceability. Infrastructure should be a priority to improve, as food products are distributed and transported on the road for many hours, and there is a risk of them being damaged during transportation.
Companies should train employees on the use of new technologies and have food recall policies in place to ensure health risks do not harm others.
For example, CP Foods, a company based in Thailand, integrates blockchain technology into its product line. They have a digital traceability system to track pork and chicken products to ensure quality and safety. The system uses QR codes on packaging to provide information about food origin, sustainability, and safety certification.
As CP Foods adds new product categories, including shrimp and processed foods, it believes blockchain-based traceability can give customers confidence that their products are safe and hygienic.
Benefits of blockchain-based traceability for consumers and businesses
With Southeast Asia’s population expected to skyrocket by 12% by 2035 to 750 million, the need to put food on the table will increase exponentially. Using blockchain technology to ensure food safety will play a vital role in combating food insecurity in the region. Significant waste occurs during the production and distribution of agricultural products, and technology can help reduce such losses and improve market efficiency.
Food traceability benefits the public by protecting their health, such as preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses. It saves people from high medical costs and builds consumer trust. For the system to be successful, stakeholders must ensure that it is user-friendly, scalable, and protects user data.
Blockchain-based solutions will help document, track and disclose contaminated food batches. However, Southeast Asians need to ensure that they access this technology in an environmentally friendly way that does not contribute to carbon emissions.
However, for blockchain to be successfully applied in the food safety sector, it requires the cooperation of stakeholders, including governments, businesses and consumers. Building a secure, efficient and highly interoperable blockchain system is essential. At the same time, raising awareness and knowledge about blockchain among consumers also plays an important role in promoting the widespread adoption of this technology.
It can be affirmed that blockchain plays a key role in building a transparent, effective and sustainable food safety system, contributing to protecting public health and promoting the development of the agricultural sector in the future.
