The uses of blockchain is rising by the day. This is because of both big and small tech companies investing in research and development of more evolved products. The idea is to use the super-sophisticated technology in various areas. For the uninitiated, blockchain is a distributed public ledger that is secured by the encryption technology. It is already revolutionizing the banking, healthcare, and education sectors.
Most recently, blockchain is being tested to improve the quality of food. International tech giant IBM’s food arm called IBM Food Trust is banking upon blockchain to better safety of food. This thrust is due to the constant outbreaks of various diseases. Take for example Salmonella. Its outbreak has been associated with the turkey people consume. Again, consider Escherichia coli O157:H7. Its outbreak is linked with Romaine lettuce.
Blockchain Makes it Easier to Track Supply Chain
Initially, public health officials were unable to figure out the reason for the disease outbreaks. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) felt turkey and lettuce could be a source. Hence it warned people from consuming Romaine lettuce and raw turkey products.
However, these are just guesses. Tracing the entire food chain and then examining it thoroughly to find out the source of contamination could be a time consuming process. In fact, the cause can be hidden anywhere in the supply chain. The complicated procedure of tracing locations, vehicles, equipment, partners, and processes for getting food from the farms is an elaborate one. This is exactly where blockchain could be useful. It could help in keeping a tab on the entire process to find out where things are going wrong easily.
