Nestlé, Carrefour Join IBM to Trace Mousline purée With Blockchain

Nestle, the Switzerland-based FMCG giant, Carrefour, the French supermarket chain, and IBM have joined hands to adopt the blockchain technology of the latter to monitor the supply chain Mousline purée, a popular French brand of instant mashed potatoes. Both Nestlé and Carrefour are members of IBM’s Food Trust blockchain platform.

Once the plan is implemented, consumers can scan a QR code using their smartphones to clearly have an idea about the origin of potatoes in a particular packet and also their transit through all the points before reaching a Carrefour store. Consumers will be able to view the quality control measures, production date, warehouse location and storage times.

Along with the blockchain data, consumers will also be able to get details about the farmers who perform the role of potato suppliers for Mousline and how the puree is prepared.

The press release states

“Using the QR code on the product’s packaging, each consumer will be able to use a secure platform on their smartphone to access information on the production supply chain, including the varieties of potato used, the dates and places of manufacture, information on quality control, and places and dates of storage before the product reaches the shelves.”

Nestlé began deploying blockchain in 2017, after becoming a founding member of Food Trust in collaboration with IBM. The IBM Food Trust intends to strengthen tracking of food products. Nestlé is trialing blockchain technology to establish better clarity and perceptibility of the entire value chain of the products. Both IBM and Nestle worked together to run the pilot on Mousline purée.

Regarding the initiative, Vineet Khanna, SVP – Global Supply Chain at Nestlé, said “This Mousline pilot is the result of a successful partnership with Carrefour and a great step forward on our blockchain journey. 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.”

The news has come days after the US supermarket chain Albertsons stated that it will use Food Trust to trace iceberg letture initially, with more to follow in the future. Across the globe, nearly five million varieties of food items are now tracked throughout their supply chain using blockchain technology.

Regarding the partnership, Carrefour said

“This partnership is based on the shared values of each company to bring consumers greater transparency in the food sector.”

Carrefour further said “By simply scanning a product using a smartphone, consumers will receive reliable and unfalsifiable information on the supply chain and production.”

Notably, Carrefour has earlier applied the technology to track milk earlier on.