Traceability, Transparency, and Horsemeat: How Blockchain will Revolutionize the Food Industry. Blog by Mattias Nordlander from Chef & Yöung

This month Mattias Nordlander from Chef & Yöung finds out how the restaurant industry can tackle traceability when it comes to food quality.

Read more from Chef & Yöung here

Customers demand more and more transparency from the products and services they consume every day. The increased demand for transparency and traceability can lead to real issues for any company who falls foul and is named and shamed in public.

We all remember the scandal where IKEA meatballs were found to contain horsemeat. Worse, IKEA did not themselves know enough about their supply chain to guarantee the quality or authenticity of the products it was selling.

A natural uproar ensued which affected other retailers such as Tesco as well.

If the requirement of being transparent and honest is becoming more important, how can the food industry and restaurants work to become more transparent in their operations, and hold their suppliers to a standard of quality and authenticity?

As with many issues today, a solution may lie in technology. Blockchain technology is on everybody’s mind currently and there are indications that it can be used for food safety and verification.

Companies such as IBM are already working on using blockchain to track food suppliers and verify food safety.

We could be close to a time where customers have an app on their Smartphone that scans a food label and tells him/her not only what the food is but where it was produced, by whom, and when it was harvested, grown, or processed. In fact, Walmart is already working on delivering this service to Chinese consumers for their food markets.

It is only a matter of time before customers are asking for the same ability in the restaurant industry.

What do you think? How can the restaurant industry tackle traceability already today? What effect would it have on the business? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Facebook page or Twitter to keep the conversation going.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.