Blockchain technology has the potential to help customers trace where their food comes from. In this article, we look at how Bumble Bee Foods uses blockchain technology to verify freshness and sustainability of tuna.

1. Blockchains In Supply Chains:
Bumble Bee Foods and SAP
Create Blockchain To Track
Fresh Fish From Ocean To Table

2. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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Shoppers buying Bumble Bee branded tuna later this year will be able to take
advantage of blockchain technology to ensure the fish they are buying is fresh
and from a sustainable source.
As over-fishing and the knock-on effects it can have on ocean ecosystems
becomes an increasing problem worldwide, consumers are growing more
cautious than ever about where their food is coming from.
Blockchains In Supply Chains:
Bumble Bee Foods And SAP Create Blockchain To Track
Fresh Fish From Ocean To Table

3. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Title
Text
IntroductionIntroduction
Blockchain – the technology made famous by cryptocurrency Bitcoin but with
potential to be used anywhere where ledgers are used in a supply chain - has
been suggested as a possible solution to this problem.
Now one of the largest producers of seafood has partnered with SAP to put
this solution in the hands of consumers, who will be able to scan packaging in
stores to be reassured that their produce reaches the standards they expect.
Blockchains In Supply Chains:
Bumble Bee Foods And SAP Create Blockchain To Track
Fresh Fish From Ocean To Table

4. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Packs of Natural Blue by Anova fair trade yellowfin tuna steaks in retailers including
Albertsons, Hy-Vee, Price Chopper and Safeway from this summer will be stamped with the
blockchain-derived QR codes.
Bumble Bee CIO Tony Costa told me “We’ve put ensuring sustainability at the forefront of
everything we do for a long time, but this lets us take it a step further.
"Because we can trace the movement of fish from the moment it's caught to the point where
it is sold; our customers can have confidence that we're making a difference to delicate
ecosystems as well as the lives of everyone involved in our supply chain."
Blockchain and Sustainability

5. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
A blockchain is a powerful tool when it comes to supply chain integrity due to its use of
encryption and distributed computing technology to build a ledger system that comes very
close to being tamper-proof.
Workers right along the supply chain – from the fishermen who take the fish from the sea to
the packagers, transporters, distributors and retailers – can record details of the quality, size,
and condition of the product as it passes through their hands. However, no single link in the
supply chain can alter any information other than that which they are directly responsible for.
As everything is backed by encryption, the consumer scanning the barcode can tell that it
hasn’t been tampered with at any point, and the fish they’re taking home to eat was genuinely
caught at the time and location indicated by the entry on the blockchain made by the fishers.
Blockchain Integrity

6. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
As well as increased consumer confidence, it’s believed that technology of this sort will also
lead to increased profits and revenues for businesses which adopt it, as it drives efficiency
along a supply chain and even reduces the need for product recalls when errors are found to
have been made with record keeping.
It also verifies data relating to the fish’s status as a fair-trade product, ensuring that workers
have been fairly paid for the part they’ve played, and the supply chain is free of exploitation
and slave or child labour.
Blockchain Integrity

7. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The partnership is the first application of SAP’s blockchain technology in the food industry,
but other major players have begun making steps, including Walmart.
The biggest food retailer in the UK announced last year that it is working with IBM on a
blockchain solution to be rolled out across its leafy greens operations, with the aim of
reducing contamination and the illness that it can cause.
There have been some claims that, as with its most famous use case, Bitcoin, some people
have fallen under the hype spell surrounding new and to some extent unproven technology.
One study released last year claimed that despite growing investment there was little
evidence that corporate blockchains had generated a great deal of change or growth within
organisations.
Costa believes that while there has been a certain amount of unwarranted hype regarding its
potential, in the right circumstances it can have the power to be truly transformational. Like
other transformative technology such as AI and big data, “It’s all about finding the right use
cases,” he tells me.
Blockchain In The Food Industry

8. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
One challenge revolves around the large amount of CPU power required to run the
encryption and decryption algorithms that blockchain-based systems rely on to keep their
data secure.
Another lies in the fact that despite their ability to keep data highly secure once it has been
recorded, it doesn’t actually do anything to verify data quality at the point of input. To put it
simply, ensuring users don’t simply lie when they enter data at their point in the supply chain
is still down to old fashioned security checks and measures at the organization where the data
is entered, and therefore open to gaming by the unscrupulous.
There's certainly a danger that a lack of understanding of this could lead to an element of
"blind faith" on the part of the public when they are told that a blockchain secures their data.
Blockchain In The Food Industry

9. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
However, this is the case with any data entry – and blockchain certainly doesn’t exacerbate the
problem. In the long term, when organizations start to reap the bottom-line benefits such as
improved quality of product, and reduction of waste, it may well prove to be the solution to
some pressing environmental and business problems.
Blockchain In The Food Industry

10. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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