Carrefour brings full transparency to the food supply chain

Today, consumers are more conscious of and care more about the provenance of the products they buy. As a result, there is growing demand for more transparency in the food chain.

Carrefour is the first retailer in Belgium to give full transparency to consumers about the provenance of its Quality Line products. Carrefour teamed up with Vinçotte, a Belgian inspection body, and SettleMint to digitise the supply chain using blockchain technology.

In a blockchain-based supply chain, provenance tracking becomes very easy because the complete product journey can be visualized, from its origin to where it is right now.

The digital traceability solution relies on a dynamic QR code that is affixed to a product during the packing process. The consumer simply has to scan the QR code on the product with a smartphone to see the entire life cycle of the product, from the farm to the shop. The app shows the name and location of the farmer, breeding conditions, where the animal was slaughtered and where the meat was cut and packed.

Carrefour's pursuit of transparency is a direct response to consumer demand for information about where their food comes from. Bringing full visibility to the journey from farm to shop results in more brand trust and a stronger feeling of engagement. This initiative shows that blockchain technology can contribute to a positive brand experience.

The application also enables stakeholders to react more quickly and more accurately to potential problems in the supply chain, thus ensuring better overall food security.