Are Distributed Ledger Technologies the Panacea for Food Traceability?

Pearson, Simon, May, David, Leontidis, Georgios , Swainson, Mark, Brewer, Steve, Bidaut, Luc, Frey, Jeremy, Parr, Gerard, Maull, Roger and Zisman, Andrea (2019) Are Distributed Ledger Technologies the Panacea for Food Traceability? Global Food Security, 20 . pp. 145-149. ISSN 2211-9124

Full content URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2019.02.002

Documents
Are Distributed Ledger Technologies the Panacea for Food Traceability?
Accepted Manuscript
[img]
[Download]
Are Distributed Ledger Technologies the Panacea for Food Traceability?
Published Open Access manuscript
[img]
[Download]
[img] PDF
Blockchain in the AgriFood_final.pdf - Whole Document
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

299kB
[img] PDF
GlobalFoodSecurity.pdf - Whole Document
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

534kB
Item Type:Article
Item Status:Live Archive

Abstract

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), such as blockchain, has the potential to transform supply chains. It can provide a cryptographically secure and immutable record of transactions and associated metadata (origin, contracts, process steps, environmental variations, microbial records, etc.) linked across whole supply chains. The ability to trace food items within and along a supply chain is legally required by all actors within the chain. It is critical to food safety, underpins trust and global food trade. However, current food traceability systems are not linked between all actors within the supply chain. Key metadata on the age and process history of a food is rarely transferred when a product is bought and sold through multiple steps within the chain. Herein, we examine the potential of massively scalable DLT to securely link the entire food supply chain, from producer to end user. Under such a paradigm, should a food safety or quality issue ever arise, authorized end users could instantly and accurately trace the origin and history of any particular food item. This novel and unparalleled technology could help underpin trust for the safety of all food, a critical component of global food security. In this paper, we investigate the (I) data requirements to develop DLT technology across whole supply chains, (ii) key challenges and barriers to optimizing the complete system, and (iii) potential impacts on production efficiency, legal compliance, access to global food markets and the safety of food. Our conclusion is that while DLT has the potential to transform food systems, this can only be fully realized through the global development and agreement on suitable data standards and governance. In addition, key technical issues need to be resolved including challenges with DLT scalability, privacy and data architectures.

Keywords:Distributed Ledger Technology, Blockchain, Food Supply Chain, Governance, Scalability, Traceability
Subjects:D Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects > D400 Agriculture
D Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects > D610 Food Science
D Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects > D470 Agricultural Technology
G Mathematical and Computer Sciences > G400 Computer Science
Divisions:College of Science > National Centre for Food Manufacturing
College of Science > Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology
College of Science > School of Computer Science
ID Code:35035
Deposited On:10 Apr 2019 12:24

Repository Staff Only: item control page