Blockchain: A safe link in the food chain
Experts say blockchain can help address food safety issues in SA, such as the one that led to the listeriosis outbreak
Blockchain, the technology that records information and is most famous for powering cryptocurrencies, could be the unlikely answer to SA’s food safety issues, if technology pundits are to be believed. "Tiger Brands is a great example of why blockchain can be so powerful in the food space," says World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck. Tiger is reeling from an outbreak of listeriosis, responsible for more than 200 deaths in SA since the start of 2017. The company’s CEO, Lawrence MacDougall, told Bloomberg in June that Tiger may never find out how the strain of bacteria entered its Enterprise processed-meat factory in Polokwane. "We’ve checked our suppliers, we’ve checked all the things we could ... It’s probably not going to be determined," MacDougall said. Goldstuck tells the FM that a growing number of international case studies are proving that blockchain has real-world applications in food safety. The idea is that blockchain’s shared records system can be used to track food products ...
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