FRANCE – Nestlé and French multinational retailer, Carrefour have agreed to extend the IBM Food Trust platform into infant formula products, after successfully applying the blockchain technology on mashed potato brand, Mousline purée.

Nestlé and carrefour will use the blockchain technology for the GUIGOZ Bio 2 and 3 infant milk range as a major technological advancement expected to boost consumer confidence by providing transparency on product checks and origins across sales channels.

The collaboration forms a three-way partnership aimed at promoting transparency within the food industry.

Carrefour will be lending its expertise as a pioneer of consumer-centred blockchain technology while Nestlé is contributing its experience as a founding member of the IBM Food Trust consortium.

This three-way partnership builds on Carrefour’s Act For Food programme. Blockchain technology enhances transparency and advances the food transition for extremely high-quality products, which parents expect for infant nutrition.

For Nestlé and Laboratoires Guigoz -producers of GUIGOZ Bio 2 and 3 – this innovative blockchain technology creates a new benchmark for transparency and the high standards of care required to ensure the quality of their products.

This latest success was made possible by IBM Food Trust’s technical solution, which is based on Blockchain Hyperledger technology.

Nestlé started using blockchain in 2017 when it joined the IBM Food Trust as a founding member. The IBM Food Trust aims at reinforcing traceability of food products.

Nestlé has been testing blockchain technology to create better transparency and visibility of the whole value chain of the products.

In October 2018, Carrefour joined the IBM Food Trust. Together with Nestlé, the two companies have been working with IBM blockchain technology to develop the platform on Mousline purée.

Nestle has further partnered with an innovative blockchain platform, OpenSC to pilot a program that aims to enhance supply chain traceability and transparency of milk from farms and producers in New Zealand to Nestlé factories and warehouses in the Middle East.

The French multinational retailer has also been using blockchain technology for its milk products to ensure a transparent and traceable milk supply chain.

In addition, Carrefour has implemented blockchain technology to improve the traceability of several of its food products including Auvergne chicken and farmhouse fattened chicken, tomatoes, eggs, and Carrefour Quality Line oranges.