Blockchain Papers

Andrea Stazi

No abstract is available for this record.

Mick Lennon MACHADO, Cristine Garcia Gabriel, Francisco de Assis Guedes de Vasconcelos

ABSTRACT Objective This study analyzes the results of evaluative research on the Brazilian Food and Nutritional Security System. Method Was conducted a scoping review by collecting information from four bibliographic databases: Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE/PubMed), and Web of Science. Three researchers systematically selected the studies and extracted data. The researchers categorized the studies included according to an evaluative approach to the topics of financing, social participation, decentralization and government management, and monitoring and evaluation. Results Were found 1,987 references, 17 of which were selected for analysis. It is presented the evaluation of the System and of its public policy as a developing field permeated by different types of research and methods and which needs to be better qualified in relation to its theoretical and methodological approaches. The results and recommendations of the studies analyzed point out important elements to guide decision-making in relation to the System and its public policy. Conclusion In view of the recent weakening of the governance structure of this public policy at a national level, this study contributes to the debate on food and nutritional security and its reintegration into the Brazilian governmental agenda.

Zengzi Wang

In the past few decades, food fraud and safety issues have given rise to growing concerns from the society. With the purpose of efficiently detecting and preventing food safety problems and tracing the accountability, the establishment of a reliable traceability system is indispensable. For a traditional traceability system, the support of blockchain technology can effectively remove its defects in terms of data tampering and sensitive information disclosure. The paper looks into different respects such as facts identified as food fraud, factors suitable for detecting food fraud, deficiencies of blockchain application in solving food safety problems, etc., using research methods of questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview. The finding is that although blockchain is a promising technology for the food safety traceability system on account of its possession of features such as tamper-resistance and distributed ledger technology, the application of this technology in food safety protection at current stage is faced with many challenges on the way to universalization, which still needs the effort of the government and influential associations to set up laws and regulations and tackle issues concerning trust of the blockchain network and the authenticity of original data.

A. Aldrighetti, Maurizio Canavari, Martin Hingley

Blockchain has been described as a breakthrough Information and Communication Technology having the potential to ensure safe, immutable and transparent information exchange between actors. This study attempts to foresee whether Blockchain will play an important role in traceability management and how this innovation is expected to change the agri-food sector's future, using a Delphi group discussion with experts. According to our results, blockchain is potentially recognised as a decentralised system able not only to harmonise safety and quality standards but also to reduce bureaucracy. Greater efficiency and reliability of the system would lead to the establishment and coordination of new supply chain relationships.

Li Yan, Sun Yin-He, Yang Qian, Sun Zhi-Yu · 6 authors

The use of new technologies to empower the social co-governance of food safety is a consensus in the theoretical and practical fields of food safety governance modernization. Based on the innovative features of the block chain such as non-tampering, consensus mechanism, and a smart contract, this paper proposes a new method to facilitate the achievement of the effect of social co-governance of food safety. Firstly, it provides a profound analysis of the causes of food safety problems and the drawbacks of traditional centralized supervision, and proposes a solution with decentralized features and the design process of smart contracts to realize the chaining and integration of finite credible data in the process of food circulation; secondly, it constructs a mathematical model through finite credible data on the chain and obtains the probabilistic consensus results of food safety through rigorous derivation; Finally, the scheme, model and algorithm are effectively practiced through the experimental environment of mature block chain platform and provincial food supervision platform. The example shows that the market failure problem in food safety can be greatly alleviated by the non-tampering feature of block chain; the consensus results formed by the credible data uploading, model construction and data derivation through smart contracts can greatly alleviate the problem of involution of government administrative supervision; and the social co-governance capacity of food safety can be improved through information sharing with the active synergy of multiple subjects of co-governance.

Ashok Chopra

Abstract Food industry is unique from the point of view of Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) which is a supply chain management initiative specific to the food industry and reflects organizations’ efforts to achieve quick response to reaching to market and ultimately consumer using Electronic Data Interchange, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification and bar codes. This paper would focus on looking at pros and cons of evaluating traditional traceability (is an important link in protecting public health since it allows health agencies to more quickly and accurately identify the source of contaminated food, fruit or vegetables believed to be the cause of an outbreak of foodborne illness, remove them from the marketplace, and communicate to the supply chain) matrix versus newly introduced disruptive technology called blockchain. This report outlines various components of traceability and its relation to other parts and methodologies in ensuring food product authenticity the paper further outlines detailing of blockchain technology its various types, implementation with examples and application in food industry. The concluding part of paper compares traditional vs. blockchain methods in regard to cost benefit analysis and implementation perspective of blockchain. The paper through reasoning and arguments justifies that how blockchain bases systems of food traceability are more suitable from speed, confidentiality and ease of implementation perspective as compared to traditional electronic traceability and current systems. From limitation perspective this paper highlights how lack of interoperability is currently the biggest one obstacle preventing system-wide, farm-to-fork food product traceability.

Fernanda Coelho Torres

In Brazil, it is referred to as sanitary surveillance a complex state action that has undergone transformations since 1999, with the creation of the National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) and the institution of the National Health Surveillance System (SNVS). Its area of activity covers the sanitary control of products and practices related to health, articulating to control some determinants, risks and damages to health. It represents an expressive part of health protection and, integrating the Brazilian Health System (SUS), contributes to its qualification, as well as national products submitted to sanitary regulation. In the organization of SNVS, notably in a federative country with continental dimensions and extremely diverse realities, such as Brazil, the decentralized implementation of actions and their correspondence with the loco regional context is fundamental. Being the municipality the most fragile component of the SNVS, it is imperative to study contextually the municipal services, and among them, the capitals, which concentrate resources, population and problems of various orders. This is an exploratory and descriptive study based on secondary and universal access data and covers sanitary surveillance services of the four state capitals of the southeastern region of Brazil, from 2014 to 2017, a year of reform of federal SUS financing. The capitals were characterized by sociodemographic and financial indicators and the respective sanitary surveillance services, using data from the Municipal Basic Information Survey, from the official sites and referring to their rates collection. The procedures reported by these services were described and their revenues and expenses analyzed. It was found that the sanitary surveillance of these capitals are inserted in different hierarchical levels in the organization chart of the respective SMS and that their financing is very dependent on federal transfers, which decreased in the period. The allocation of own resources was very low and amounts collected as fees and fines seems not to have been reverted to the service in one of the capitals that reported this collection. There was no uniformity in relation to the types of inspecteds establishments/activities and the licensing process. Data from the different databases were consistent. It is necessary elucidate to what type of regulation are being submitted the establishments and services located in the jurisdictional limit of the capitals and that are not regulated by them, and discuss responsibilities. As well as institutional and political factors, with the intention of explaining the non-allocation of own resources and those collected by the surveillance, or part of them, to the services themselves.