Could blockchain be the food chain's answer to romaine lettuce E. coli and other outbreaks? | Retail | Dallas News
The future
The customer wants to know more about what they’re eating, and the blockchain concept has been proven, but putting it to work widely will take some time, Yiannas said.
“We’re all wondering what would have happened with the romaine incident if we had it,” said Doug Baker, vice president, technology at the Food Marketing Institute.
Kroger, the second largest U.S. grocer after Walmart, and Wegmans, a strong regional supermarket chain in the Northeast, are using the technology, Baker said. “So are the big food suppliers. So it’s the right group. And having Walmart step out makes a big statement that everyone should do it.”
Most others are still learning, Baker said.“It’s needed. Perishable isn’t about days, it’s about hours.”
Yiannas and others say the digital ledger democratizes information. All that’s needed is a smart device like a phone and access to the internet. So far, millions of food packages have been traced with blockchain by the participating companies.
The whole system gets blamed when something spoils or is contaminated with salmonella or E. coli, or a distribution center fails to store product at the right temperature.
“We need to shift this from fault-finding to fact-finding,” Yiannas said. “If no one is eating romaine, the entire system loses.”
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