The fish industry experiences substantial illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) activities within traditional supply chain systems. Blockchain technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to transform the fish supply chain (SC) by incorporating distributed ledger technology (DLT) to build trustworthy, transparent, decentralized traceability systems that promote secure data sharing and employ IUU prevention and detection methods. We have reviewed current research efforts directed toward incorporating Blockchain in fish SC systems. We have discussed traceability in both traditional and smart SC systems that make use of Blockchain and IoT technologies. We demonstrated the key design considerations in terms of traceability in addition to a quality model to consider when designing smart Blockchain-based SC systems. In addition, we proposed an Intelligent Blockchain IoT-enabled fish SC framework that uses DLT for the trackability and traceability of fish products throughout harvesting, processing, packaging, shipping, and distribution to final delivery. More precisely, the proposed framework should be able to provide valuable and timely information that can be used to track and trace the fish product and verify its authenticity throughout the chain. Unlike other work, we have investigated the benefits of integrating machine learning (ML) into Blockchain IoT-enabled SC systems, focusing the discussion on the role of ML in fish quality, freshness assessment and fraud detection.
Ajay Patel, M. N. Brahmbhatt, A.R. Bariya, J. B. Nayak · 5 authors
Livestock products share more than fifteen percent of total agri-foods traded worldwide. A global increase in food demand has increased the risk to food safety. Improvements in food quality, cold chain transit, and preservation are required for safe livestock products. Though, the food safety and regulation authorities demand complete food traceability from farm to fork, but in traditional supply chain it is ignored by fiddling with the transit paperwork and bill invoices. The process of supply chain reformation and activities linked to food recalls during food safety issues are insanely expensive and challenging. Traceability-driven food supply chain management is likely to implement novel technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT). The capability of the Blockchain era within the food sector is emerging with use cases across different regions, as shown via the growing number of studies. Credibility, efficiency, and safety are all improved when food products can be instantly traced from their point of origin through all points of contact on their way to the consumer. Blockchain assures a tamper-proof and transparent system that allows an innovative business solution, together with smart contracts. However, there are significant difficulties with the implementation of blockchain technology for food traceability. It necessitates more and more training platforms as well as trainers, who can make understanding and operability of this technology easy among ground-level participants and food entities. For the tactical application of this technology, it is essential to comprehend the legal and regulatory framework.
Abstract The availability of on-farm storage and processing is a critical challenge facing small farmers, which hinders agricultural productivity. Thirty per cent of the food produced globally is lost after harvest, with the proportion being exceptionally high in low- and middle-income countries due to a lack of on-farm handling and storage facilities. Conventional cold-storage solutions have not taken off at the smallholder level, mainly due to a lack of availability and access to reliable grid electricity. Therefore, off-grid decentralized solar-powered cold-storage units can play a vital role in preserving the produce at production sites and enhancing livelihood and rural development with a minimal carbon footprint. To maintain low temperatures at every step of the agricultural value chain, known as the ‘cold chain’, several technology vendors aim to improve the shelf life and user benefit. Small-scale farmers, which account for two-thirds of all food losses, are another group they focus on. This study examines the existing situation, importance and potential opportunities of decentralized cold-storage systems for fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition to economic, social, technological and environmental limitations, this study examines the triumphs and challenges of incorporating solar-energy-powered cold storage into developing communities. Although the private sector, NGOs and some government agencies are working to promote decentralized cold-storage facilities, relatively little has been done so far to have a significant influence on post-harvest losses and food security. There are still knowledge gaps on decentralized cold-storage facilities. The primary operational constraint is the economic situation of end users and the lack of financing alternatives for smallholder farmers.
Abubakar Mohammed, Vidyasagar Potdar, Mohammed Quaddus
Blockchain technology (BCT) has been proven to have the potential to transform food supply chains (FSCs) based on its potential benefits. BCT promises to improve food supply chain processes. Despite its several benefits, little is known about the factors that drive blockchain adoption within the food supply chain and the impact of blockchain technology on the food supply chain, as empirical evidence is scarce. This study, therefore, explores factors, impacts and challenges of blockchain adoption in the FSC. The study adopts an exploratory qualitative interview approach. The data consist of Twenty-one interviews which were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques in NVivo (v12), resulting in identifying nine factors classified under three broad categories (Technology-complexity, compatibility, cost; Organization-organization size, knowledge; Environment-government support, competitive pressure, standardization, and compliance) as the most significant factors driving blockchain adoption in the FSC. In addition, five impacts were identified (visibility, performance, efficiency, trust, and value creation) to blockchain technology adoption. This study also identifies significant challenges of blockchain technology (interoperability, privacy, infrastructure conditions, and lack of knowledge). Based on the findings, the study developed a conceptual framework for blockchain adoption in food supply chains. The study adds to the corpus of knowledge by illuminating the adoption of blockchain technology and its effects on food supply chains and by giving the industry evidence-based guidance for developing its blockchain plans. The study provides full insights and awareness of blockchain adoption challenges among executives, supply chain organizations, and governmental agencies.
Kadim Lahcen Nadime, Rajaa Benabbou, Salma Mouatassim, Jamal Benhra
For decades, the perishable goods supply chains have lacked the necessary advancements to become as profitable as other industries. Due to the industry's time-constrained nature and the products' inherent characteristics, most operations need to be streamlined to avoid product expiration and recalls. Tracking perishable products in supply chains and ensuring their conformity to the standards and norms has become a priority. Customers are informed now more than ever and expect a wide range of selection and high-quality products. To meet these demands, perishable supply chains must operate as efficiently as possible, using novel methods and techniques. Blockchain technology has been used for various purposes, but few have considered perishable supply chains. The use of Blockchain in this industry will help reduce food waste and increase transparency in the supply chain. This paper proposes a proof of concept that uses smart contracts and Blockchain technology to manage perishable products flow between suppliers, retailers, and customers to allow the transfer of ownership and the tracking of the shelf-life span of dairy products. The truffle framework is used to build, test and deploy the smart contracts using solidity, while Ganache is used to simulate a test network based on the Ethereum Blockchain.
By providing transparency, immutability, and security in the tracking of products from raw materials to end-users, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the supply chain management of health supplements. Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the supply chain management of health supplements. The decentralized structure of blockchain makes it possible for the information to be shared among stakeholders in a way that is both secure and unobtrusive. This helps to reduce the probability of counterfeit goods being sold and ensures that regulatory requirements are met. The uses of blockchain technology in the health supplement sector are investigated in this article. These applications include traceability, inventory management, and payment processing. In addition to this, it offers a discussion of the difficulties and constraints that may arise from applying blockchain technology to the management of the supply chain for nutritional supplements, as well as potential solutions for overcoming these obstacles. In the health supplement industry as a whole, the implementation of blockchain technology has the potential to promote transparency, accountability, and trust, which would ultimately be to the advantage of both customers and enterprises. The promising findings of this study done thus far highlight the necessity of future research and the use of blockchain technology in the health supplement business.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union, in effect since January 2023, seeks to differentiate products on quality, provide greater transparency on food origin, and on the transactions and the actors involved in the supply chain. At the same time, in Spain, the adoption of new technologies for the digitization of the agri-food sector has been proposed as a solution to address structural issues such as lack of competitiveness and innovation. In fact, systems using blockchain-related technologies for food control and traceability have seen great progress in recent years and, currently, the use of blockchain in supply chain management is almost doubling year on year. In this context, this paper investigates the level of development of blockchain technology in the agri-food sector in Spain and its applications for certifying food production conditions within the supply chain, and how it is supported by public policies. It identifies several challenges that need to be addressed for a widespread adoption could take place, such as data recorded on the blockchain, lack of standards, limited scope of projects, and integration of data capture automatically or with other technologies like RFID and AI. The document proposes to reorient public development policies to address these challenges, such as reusing data from, already in place, European data collections for production control and food traceability, educating users and stakeholders about the use of blockchain technology, and fostering legal and technical provisions which ensure system transparency to facilitate a successful implementation of blockchain.
Food product safety and quality are considered to be of the utmost significance on a global scale. Highly publicized food safety incidents have significantly increased public interest in food traceability, defined as “the ability to track any food, feed, food-producing animal or substance that will be used for consumption, through all stages of production, processing, and distribution” (European Union). The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that governments, producers, and consumers work together to ensure food safety, which calls for the dissemination of pertinent information throughout complex food value networks. Therefore, it is in the best interest of profit-driven businesses to implement information systems for tracking food goods, a significant byproduct of which is the likelihood of increased profitability. This paper aims to explore the ample possibilities for such implementations that are now available thanks to blockchain technology. In particular, the goal is to explore the dynamics of this technology and identify how it helps to create good customer relationships. For this purpose, the case of Lavazza, an important Italian roasted coffee company that has recently introduced a blockchain-tracked product to the market, is analyzed in detail, including all the steps that made the application of the technology possible and how it was finally communicated to the consumer. The case study offers a concrete example that resulted from both stakeholders’ internal need for greater traceability and consumers’ external need for greater transparency regarding the company’s sourcing processes. In this pilot project, collaboration among all the entities that are part of the chain was essential to delivering a formative, customized, and ultimately, easy-to-understand experience to the end consumer. Finally, Lavazza is an example of a company that decided to challenge itself by following a trend that will be increasingly present in future socioeconomic scenarios.
Efficient supply chain management is a laborious task in any company, but in food industry, there is extra complexity and risk of compromising supply chain in food waste management, which may directly affect consumer safety and the shelf life of goods. One possible solution is to use blockchain technology to improve the integrity, security, and transparency of food supply chain. This study intends to present a blockchain-based transparent traceability food supply system that would follow the passage of boxed leftovers from restaurants through nongovernmental organizations and lastly to the underprivileged. Furthermore, the system employs a QR code and an NFC tag to acquire access to secure data pertaining to food packaging. This can help to reduce fraud, theft, and counterfeiting, as well as improve the efficiency of leftover food supply chain.
Abstract This article presents a holistic and integrated framework for blockchain deployment in global Agro-food ‘supply’ chains and how to transition them to accountable and sustainable global ‘value’ chains. Though many a scholarly contributions have assessed blockchain implementation at various levels in the chain, this research holistically looks at impediments to blockchain implementation at each level in the value chain. The study first establishes interlinkages between the three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely food for all (SDG 2), health for all (SDG 3), and sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12). It assesses the legal framework (namely trade law) and regulatory requirements therein. It then employs a case-study-based approach to assess blockchain deployment from the lens of operations management. These inter-disciplinary insights offer an enabling framework to successfully implement a vertically-integrated blockchain across the entire global Agro-food value chain. An end-to-end blockchain promises accountability, and thereby, enhanced trust in trade by offering a time-stamped ledger of transactions from the farm to the fork, to the end consumer. This systematic study, and its findings therein, are expected to serve as a ready reference guide to managers and policymakers for a truly integrated farm-to-fork blockchain deployment.
Smart and sustainable agricultural practices are more complex than other industries as the production depends on many pre- and post-harvesting factors which are difficult to predict and control. Previous studies have shown that technologies such as blockchain along with sustainable practices can achieve smart and sustainable agriculture. These studies state that there is a need for a reliable and trustworthy environment among the intermediaries throughout the agrifood supply chain to achieve sustainability. However, there are limited studies on blockchain technology adoption for smart and sustainable agriculture. Therefore, this systematic review uses the PRISMA technique to explore the barriers and enablers of blockchain adoption for smart and sustainable agriculture. Data was collected using exhaustive selection criteria and filters to evaluate the barriers and enablers of blockchain technology for smart and sustainable agriculture. The results provide on the one hand adoption enablers such as stakeholder collaboration, enhance customer trust, and democratization, and, on the other hand, barriers such as lack of global standards, industry level best practices and policies for blockchain adoption in the agrifood sector. The outcome of this review highlights the adoption barriers over enablers of blockchain technology for smart and sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, several recommendations and implications are presented for addressing knowledge gaps for successful implementation.
Abstract Relationships in multi-tier supply chains (MTSCs) are complex and require constant information sharing. For MTSCs involved in perishable product distribution, blockchain technology (BCT) is one of the most promising technologies that can ensure products’ traceability and safety. This study examines a Portuguese MTSC for frozen fish products piloting BCT adoption for its supply chain (SC) practices. The goal is therefore to explore the consequences of information availability inherent for BCT adoption pilots in the SC context. This study follows a mixed-method approach, with qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. Three semi-structured interviews with players from a single frozen fish SC, including supplier, transporter, and retailer were conducted. MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2022 software was used for further coding and data analysis. An online survey among retail chain consumers was conducted resulting in 112 responses. Regression analysis and Pearson correlation test were further performed via IBM SPSS Statistics software. Data collection for both parts took place between December 2021 and July 2022. This study explores four layers in the SC– including supplier, transporter, retailer and final consumer. Findings revealed a current lack of extensive and detailed information from upper tiers regarding products’ characteristics. Despite being hyped as a “trust-enabling” technology, BCT was found not to eliminate the need for trustful relationships between players prior to adoption, as information input requires human intervention. Even in those cases when the traceability option is not of major interest to final consumers, findings revealed a higher probability of purchasing fish products that have traceable information available.
The food supply chain, following its globalization, has become very complex. Such complexities, introduce factors that influence adversely the quality of intermediate and final products. Strict constraints regarding parameters such as maintenance temperatures and transportation times must be respected in order to ensure top quality and reduce to a minimum the detrimental effects to public health. This is a multi-factorial endeavor and all of the involved stakeholders must accept and manage the logistics burden to achieve the best possible results. However, such burden comes together with additional complexities and costs regarding data storage, business process management and company specific standard operating procedures and as such, automated methods must be devised to reduce the impact of such intrusive operations. For the above reasons, in this paper we present BioTrak: a platform capable of registering and visualizing the whole chain of transformation and transportation processes including the monitoring of cold chain logistics of food ingredients starting from the raw material producers until the final product arrives to the end-consumer. The platform includes Business Process Modelling methods to aid food supply chain stakeholders to optimize their processes and also integrates a blockchain for guaranteeing the integrity, transparency and accountability of the data.
Claudia Cozzio, Giampaolo Viglia, Linda Lemarié, Stefania Cerutti
The traceability of what we eat is a lingering issue. Blockchain enables transparency across the value chain as it tracks a product’s origin, location, and history. In this work we adopt a mix-method approach - experiment plus qualitative evidence - to understand why consumers consider the traceability offered by blockchain important and what are the barriers that suppliers face when considering blockchain adoption. Our findings show that, when the food is local, blockchain increases consumers’ trust and, in turn, attitudes and behaviors toward the sharing experience. On the supply side, we find that, while operators see key benefits in blockchain adoption – including enhanced trust, they are still hesitant in using the technology because of a greater need for intra-organizational support and a concern in data sharing. By looking at both consumers and suppliers, we offer a complete picture on the integration of blockchain technology in the food supply chain.
The Block chain is a peer to peer, distributed ledger in which members must establish consensus to record every new input and transactions that are stored by all members. Over the last decade, block chain technology has grown in popularity, attracting interest from a wide range of industries, including finance, manufacturing, energy, and government sectors, health, and agriculture supply chains, land registrations, and digital identifications (IDs). Block chain facilitates better opportunities and benefits in agriculture, as well as building trust between farmers and consumers and allowing the creation of reliable food supply chains. The Chapter discusses how block chain and smart contracts can improve productivity, transparency, and traceability in agricultural insurance, smart farming, and agricultural food supply chain transactions (AFSC). By applying Block chain agri-food supply chain tracking was made easy and won the trust from different stakeholders, which was a real benefit to the real heroes of the country. The consumer can research the history of a product they are thinking about buying and consume food in their cart, learning about the entire process from planting to harvesting, transporting, and selling. Food fraud may be reduced by using the traceability and integrity of financial information to detect untrustworthy intermediaries and business practices that exploit both independent farmers and cooperatives. The agricultural industry will be transformed by block chain for supply chain management. All phases of the agriculture supply chain are being simplified, enhancing food safety and preventing the sale of counterfeit goods. Access to agricultural finance services for farmers and companies could also be facilitated by the technology. This Paper presents a review and research challenges on the existing block chain based IoT applications in the agriculture domain where maximum research focuses on food supply chain and its security of Internet of things with Block chain. The chapter presents how block chain and smart contracts can increase productivity, transparency and traceability could be very effective in Agricultural insurance, smart farming, transactions of agricultural food supply chains.
Pedro Vieira de Azevedo, Jorge Gomes, Mário Rom�ão
Abstract In the current global marketplace supply chains can span a huge number of countries, cross many borders and require interoperation of a multitude of organizations. This vastness of supply chains impacts business competitiveness since it adds complexity and can difficult securing traceability, chain of custody and transparency. We propose that assuring chain of custody and traceability via Blockchain (BC) allows organizations to demonstrate product provenance, integrity and compliance. This work proposes that to effect true traceability the more complete approach is to connect both the Supply Chain Actors (SCAs) and products identifications using digital certificates. A Blockchain is used to manage the traceability of products and validation of the identities. Importing, verifying and storing the certificates uses an off-chain data storage solution for products certificates, IDs and data (i.e., WalliD) . To create, validate the certificates and setup the chain of trust a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) was designed as part of the proposal. Our study follows a Design Science research approach aimed to analyse the requirements and propose a solution to a more complete traceability in supply chains. The results were architectural artifacts, including an Ethereum Smart Contract and a PKI based certificate authentication system. The implementation of these deliverables allow for a supply chain system that can provide decentralized and trustful assurance of the provenance, chain of custody and traceability functionalities for all the Organizations and also for the final consumers. To exemplify the problem and demonstrate the applicability of the solution, its potential and benefits we applied it to a real food supply chain use case that already uses provenance certificates and stored them in the blockchain using the before mentioned SmartContract to assure and demonstrate the chain of custody and traceability of the food produce.
Abstract Blockchain technology serves as a framework for addressing the challenge of tracking and marketing materials in distributed networks. Agricultural traceability systems in food production provide farmers with food safety and smart contracts. Smart contracts establish cryptocurrency evidence of delivery with automated bitcoin payments to all parties. In this paper, we propose circular blockchain-based traceability and bitcoin prediction in agricultural food crop system to accomplish transparency and traceability. Bitcoin prediction using LSTM benefits farmers and stakeholders to buy and sell their food crops when the profit is high. Moreover, the proposed system provides safety, consensus, shared ledger, speedy payment, and decentralization. All activities are processed in a distributed shared ledger with connections to a decentralized file system, which makes the supply chain visible and traceable. All the activities that are tied up in the supply chain are transparent to consumers and stakeholders. Traceability of the agricultural product is done efficiently with QR code, which results in a trustable relationship between the farmer and the consumer. Finally, our research shows that the accuracy of LSTM outperforms by 88.67% compared to traditional machine learning algorithms such as SVM and Naive Bayes with accuracy of 62.025% and 75.32% in forecasting the bitcoin price.
In the food supply chain, which starts with the seed that the producer sows in the field, what stages the consumer goes through until it comes to his table, which activities and safety framework are affected by the product/food safety at these stages, and because the said effects are not transparent and knowable, technology is used especially by producers/farmers and consumers. It is planned to build a bridge between /customer with blockchain technology. Literature information about blockchain technology and the sectors where it provides more benefits is given. As a result of the research on supply chain and blockchain technology maturity level in agriculture, it has been determined that the theory part of the technology is developing and there are still problems in practice. Agricultural practices and results on smart agriculture and the adaptation of the agricultural sector to technology in Turkey are emphasized. IBM Food Trust blockchain application was preferred for agricultural/food product application with blockchain technology in supply chain management. A project was proposed for the application of blockchain technology in the agricultural supply chain in Turkey and it was emphasized that it would take time for the producer and private sector to transition to this application without the contribution of public institutions and organizations in the project.
Evripidis P. Kechagias, Sotiris P. Gayialis, Georgios A. Papadopoulos, Georgios Papoutsis
In today's era, humanity has been overwhelmed by technological revolutions that have changed and will continue to change how business operations are performed, directly or indirectly. At the same time, the processes within the supply chain are quite complex, and as technology and processes evolve, they become more and more challenging. Traceability has become a critical issue in the food industry to ensure safety, quality, and compliance with regulations. The adoption of blockchain technology in the food supply chain has gained significant attention as a potential solution to improve traceability. This paper presents the development of a distributed application for table olives' traceability on the Ethereum network. The paper also presents a methodological framework, which can help anyone aiming to implement an Ethereum decentralized application and demonstrates the practical use of the developed application by a Greek table olives producer. The application significantly improved the producer's product traceability by providing a secure, transparent, and efficient solution for tracking and tracing the products in the supply chain. The app reduced the time, increased the accuracy and reliability of data, improved supply chain efficiency, and helped the producer comply with international regulations and standards.