IBM, Walmart, JD.com Start Chinese Blockchain Alliance to Improve Food Safety

IBM, Walmart, Chinese e-commerce group JD.com, and Tsinghua University National Engineering Laboratory for E-Commerce Technologies revealed on Thursday plans to create the Blockchain Food Safety Alliance. The partnership aims to modernize Chinese supply chain operations with the help of distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The Blockchain Food Safety Alliance will standardize the supply chain, encourage transparency, and improve food tracking and safety in the country. The companies will work together to build a blockchain-based system that would record data such as food origin, authenticity, and safety. The platform will allow suppliers, regulators, and consumers to access useful information about food management across the entire supply chain. Given that blockchain is a decentralized system highly immune to errors, the platform will be several times more efficient than previous ones.

IBM is among the leading providers of blockchain solutions for businesses, especially in the financial sector. However, it supports other industries as well, including the supply chain. For example, the company has already discussed a partnership with Walmart to implement blockchain in the Chinese food market.

JD.com has also previously expressed its intention to use blockchain for the food supply chain. The company announced in mid-November it was working on a traceability system with more than 30 other brands.

As part of the project, IBM will offer its blockchain solutions, while Tsinghua University will be a technical advisor given its experience with the local food market.

Frank Yiannas, Walmart’s VP of food safety and health, commented on the collaboration:

“As a global advocate for enhanced food safety, Walmart looks forward to deepening our work with IBM, Tsinghua University, JD and others throughout the food supply chain. Through collaboration, standardization, and adoption of new and innovative technologies, we can effectively improve traceability and transparency and help ensure the global food system remains safe for all.”

Yongli Yu, head of JD.com’s supply chain research unit, said:

“Throughout the world, and particularly in China, consumers increasingly want to know how their food is sourced, and JD is dedicated to using technology to promote complete transparency.”