Nestlé and Carrefour are putting blockchain to work on supermarket shelves. Starting today, the two companies will use the technology to track Mousline instant mashed potatoes sold in French Carrefour
Nestlé and Carrefour are putting blockchain to work on supermarket shelves. Starting today, the two companies will use the technology to track Mousline instant mashed potatoes sold in French Carrefour stores, giving shoppers access to supply chain details through a QR code on the package.
Scan the code on a box of Mousline and you pull up information on your phone about which potato varieties went into the product, when and where it was made, quality control records, and how it was stored before it hit the shelf. The trial will run over the next few months as Nestlé and Carrefour assess whether the approach scales beyond this single product.
"This Mousline pilot is the result of a successful partnership with Carrefour and a great step forward on our blockchain journey," said Vineet Khanna, senior vice president, global head supply chain at Nestlé. "We are using this technology to bring more transparency to our products by providing accurate, trusted and impartial information. That will benefit the whole value chain, including retailers and consumers."
Both companies are using IBM's Food Trust platform for this trial. Nestlé joined as a founding member in 2017 and Carrefour followed in October 2018. The platform connects growers, processors, distributors and retailers through blockchain, allowing food to be traced back to its origin. Once data enters the system, authorized users can pull up the complete history and current location of any product, along with certifications, test results and temperature logs, within seconds.
IBM Food Trust now includes more than 80 brands on its network, among them Walmart, Tyson Foods, Dole, Kroger and Unilever.
The Mousline test fits into a broader effort by Nestlé to rebuild consumer confidence through blockchain. The company ran initial trials with baby food in 2017 and 2018. Benjamin Dubois, who directs Nestlé's blockchain efforts, told the AWP news agency in January that the company planned to expand beyond baby food this year to test other products.
