Carrefour uses blockchain to create "transparent" chicken

Consumers that want to know everything about the chicken they eat will rejoice at Carrefour’s latest addition, because it will detail everything about the origin of its private label chicken thanks to blockchain technology. 

The chicken’s cycle mapped

Whoever is concerned about the Auvergne-based chicken’s cycle before it arrives in the supermarket, can easily track that soon: Carrefour will place all the information on the label, from where it was bred, what it ate and where it was slaughtered. Every step in the supply chain (breeder, processor, butcher, …) will need to register their information in a fraud-proof and secured database, namely blockchain. The difference between a traditional database and blockchain is that the latter does not store the information centrally and that no one has access to all the data. That means that neither Carrefour nor someone in the supply chain can intervene.

Consumers will be able to access that information thanks to a QR code on the label. When it comes to Carrefour’s Auvergne chicken, the consumer will be able to see where and how it was bred, that it eats grain and French soy and that it did not receive any antibiotics (if everything goes well).

Another eight blockchain products in 2018

With the blockchain system, Carrefour wants to demonstrate its 100 % honesty and transparency, because it will not be able to access or alter the data, which means it cannot hide anything. Did the chicken get antibiotics or genetically-modified food? The blockchain will contain that information.

Over the course of 2018, it will add another eight products with a blockchain-focused supply chain. The products are: free-range eggs, tomatoes with no pesticides, Norwegian salmon, beef, fresh milk from cows that spend at least six months a year outside, cheese, oranges and seasonal honey. In the long run, Carrefour wants the majority of its hundreds of supply chains and 18,000 on blockchain technology.

Step in Carrefour 2022 transformation plan

Blockchain technology is an important step for Carrefour to realize its Carrefour 2022 transformation plan. “There are numerous advantages for the food chain if we use blockchain”, the company mentioned in a press release. Companies abroad already use the technology to trace a product’s origin and sustainability.

The supermarket group says the initiative also meets a growing consumer need for transparency. Manufacturers can also highlight their process and expertise this way. The formula also allows a secured database to be shared among all partners and to guarantee improved food safety for customers.