Blockchain in Food and Ag — Sept 5/8

Wendelyn Jones
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

This week’s compilation of articles on blockchain in the food and ag space!

(Those of you who have weeks full of customer meetings, internal meetings, and delayed flights can appreciate why this post is delayed.)

This list is not intended to be comprehensive but will endeavor to select articles. I would value your feedback and suggestions. Let me know if there are articles you see which should be included next week!

#blockchain #agribusiness #foodindustry

https://www.alltech.com/articles/what-are-implications-blockchain-technology-food-and-agriculture

  • An overview article on why is blockchain creating such excitement in agriculture? The agriculture sector typically has very tight margins, and success is derived from parlaying market knowledge and strategic sourcing for better access and better prices than your competitors. Secrecy and squeezing prices are key success factors. Does blockchain deliver the needed transparency?

https://www.coindesk.com/blockchain-startup-founded-by-deloitte-vets-unveils-supply-chain-platform/

  • The SUKU decentralized supply chain platform will be built to work across different industries. And, with a design to be industry agnostic, the company looks to enable partners to interact in a unique way.

https://progressivegrocer.com/fmi-gma-partner-s4rb-smartlabel-initiative

  • Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) have added S4RB Inc. to the approved list of suppliers to offer SmartLabel — a program that provides consumers with product information through QR codes printed on the packaging. These solutions provide customers with closer details about nutrition and bioengineered ingredients, as well as information about sourcing and sustainability. Is the QR code/smart label approach how blockchain ultimately gets to the consumer?

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/food-safety-entering-the-new-era-with-increasing-technology-adoption-1027508962

  • GS1 Hong Kong presented this year’s Food Safety Forum on 30 August, 2018. More than 300 food industry stakeholders attended and shared their perspectives on how new innovations strengthen food traceability and ensure food safety. As noted by the key note speaker “Information technology is enhancing supply chain efficiency and food traceability from all perspectives. Not only do food producers, traders and logistics providers apply technology to enhance their competitive edges, food safety regulators are also capitalizing on technology to enhance their regulatory efficiency.”

https://cryptobriefing.com/cannabis-blockchain-seed-to-sale/

  • This one is a stretch to place in a listing on food and ag based on title. However, when one considers the seed to sale tracking associated with cannabis, the connection to food and ag is more clear. Will private labels and niche markets take this approach to their supply chain?

https://www.thepacker.com/article/pti-council-looks-support-throughout-supply-chain

  • The Produce Traceability Initiative Leadership Council met recently to put a new spotlight on voluntary adoption of PTI standards. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s romaine outbreak investigation, combined with an increasing number of fresh produce recalls, highlight the need to be able to trace our products through to the retail level.” If there is a mechanism to automate key inputs via blockchain, will the hype be delivered on?

https://cointelegraph.com/news/startup-to-solve-traceability-issues-in-seafood-industry-via-blockchain

  • This article is full of hype and overstatement. “By tracing a batch of seafood back to the point of capture, we can verify whether the seafood was legally harvested, grown or processed when cross-referenced with data, such as vessel tracking and identification, permit numbers [and] input/output data for mass balance assessment.”

https://www.coindesk.com/alibaba-ibm-lead-global-blockchain-patent-drive-says-report/

  • In a report from iPR Daily, Chinese internet giant Alibaba tops the list with a total of 90 patent applications focused on blockchain-related technologies. In second place is IBM, which falls just one short of that total with 89 filings, while Mastercard occupies third place with 80 filings. Bank of America made it to fourth place, with 53 blockchain patent applications.
Wendelyn Jones

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Catalyzing Agribusiness — Linking Ag and Food — Freedom to Commercialize. All posts are my own.