Nestle & Carrefour partner to boost transparency in food supply chain

In a bid to increase transparency in the food supply chain, Nestlé and Carrefour have reportedly partnered to enable customers to trace the origin of Mousline mashed potato products through blockchain technology.

As per trusted sources, the blockchain platform will be tested using Mousline purée products in the next few months under a pilot program, which will help both the companies comprehend the scalability and impact of the technology.

According to sources familiar with the development, after scanning a QR code on the product’s packaging, consumers will be able to access a secure platform on their smartphone, which delivers information pertaining to the production supply chain such as the types of potatoes used, quality control measures, the dates and places of manufacture, and the dates and places of storage before the product is available in stores, cited sources.

For the record, Carrefour has already adopted blockchain technology to provide complete product traceability on numerous products in its Carrefour Quality Lines range last year, including its line of micro-filtered full-fat milk.

In order to provide this service, Nestle and Carrefour have deployed IBM’s blockchain platform Food Trust, and the three companies have been collaborating to deploy the service post Carrefour’s decision to join the platform in October.

A statement released by Carrefour notes that this is the first collaboration between a distributor and a world-famous manufacturer for the implementation of a blockchain traceability service for a national brand.

Vineet Khanna, Nestle’s Senior Vice President and Global Head Supply Chain, said in a statement that the Mousline pilot project is a result of Nestle’s successful partnership with Carrefour and a great step forward on the company’s blockchain journey.

This technology is intended to bring more transparency to the products manufactured by the company by offering correct, impartial, and trusted information, that will be helpful for the whole value chain, including consumers and retailers, Khanna added.