Blockchain raises confidence in buying organic food online

A survey has found that Chinese consumers would be happier to buy organic food online if it could be tracked through the supply chain using blockchain-based traceability, reducing the risks of food fraud.

The study – carried out by researchers from Portsmouth University in the UK and China’s Anqing Vocational and Technical College – also found that consumers were more likely to trust the quality and environmental credentials of food products if they were tracked using a blockchain-based system.

The team carried out a survey of 415 Chinese participants to investigate how a blockchain-based traceability system – in other words one that can capture and track food at all stages of production, processing and distribution with the security of a distributed ledger system – would influence online purchase intentions of organic agricultural products.

China has been affected by multiple incidents of food fraud over the years, including melamine in infant formula, repackaging of expired meat for sale in fast food outlets and recycling waste oil from drains and grease traps – so-called ‘gutter oil’ – and traceability has been held up as a possible solution to the problem.

“The issue of food safety has become a crucial public health issue worldwide. Blockchain technology allows consumers to track the flow of food and effectively record the sources and processes of their products, and reduces the elimination of associated food fraud phenomena, such as counterfeiting and dilution,” write the authors in the journal Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies.

“The findings of the research are valuable information for business managers and retailers who want to increase sales of their products, as well as helping relevant policymakers to achieve the ultimate goal of green and sustainable development in the food industry.”