A NEW WAY OF OPERATING
LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION
needs to participate , which increases accountability .”
And , in the unlikely event that a contamination issue should occur across a food distribution chain , blockchain ’ s recording power is such that it ’ s capable of reducing the amount of time required to identify the exact point at which contamination occurred from weeks to a matter of seconds .
The nature of how blockchain works means that there are associated benefits to implementing it into a supply chain . For some , there ’ s a common misconception that , because blockchain is decentralised , it ’ s somehow open to access to anyone . In fact , according to Kutz , it ’ s one of the most secure methods of recording and managing a supply chain .
“ Permissioned blockchains make it so only approved parties have access to the information recording ,” he states . “ This ensures that information is kept secure , private and transparent , but only for the parties involved .”
A NEW WAY OF OPERATING
Alongside its work with GSF , IBM is also working on blockchain-based solutions with food giants such as Dole ,
Driscoll ’ s , Nestle , Tyson Foods , Kroger and more , implementing advanced technology that can improve comms , security and safety , and which has the potential to bring significant benefits to the global food ecosystem .
Naturally , the complexity of global supply chains and distribution operations means that the implem-
68 May 2018