{"id":27465,"date":"2017-09-08T19:30:23","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T16:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/?p=27465"},"modified":"2024-08-24T05:00:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-24T02:00:06","slug":"blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/","title":{"rendered":"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#Tracing_one_step_at_a_time\" >Tracing one step at a time<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#How_can_blockchain_and_IoT_help\" >How can blockchain and IoT help?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#Whats_really_tracked\" >What&#8217;s really tracked?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#The_food_consortium_adopts_blockchain\" >The food consortium adopts blockchain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#Improving_supply_chain_with_machine_learning\" >Improving supply chain with machine learning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#Want_details_Watch_the_videos\" >Want details? Watch the videos!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#Related_reading\" >Related reading<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#About_the_experts\" >About the experts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tracing_one_step_at_a_time\"><\/span>Tracing one step at a time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Food safety has always been a global concern. According to the World Health Organization, about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/en\/news-room\/detail\/03-12-2015-who-s-first-ever-global-estimates-of-foodborne-diseases-find-children-under-5-account-for-almost-one-third-of-deaths\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">420,000 people die each year<\/a> due to food poisoning.<\/p>\n<p>In the U.S. alone, the total cost caused by food-related concerns\u2014spanning from medical costs to economic loss due to halted productivity\u2014range from $55.5 billion to $93.2 billion a year. This cost <a href=\"https:\/\/www-01.ibm.com\/events\/wwe\/grp\/grp308.nsf\/vLookupPDFs\/6%20Using%20Blockchain%20for%20Food%20Safe%202\/$file\/6%20Using%20Blockchain%20for%20Food%20Safe%202.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has increased<\/a> by 20% in the last four years according to IBM.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ecoli\/2006\/spinach-10-2006.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the E.coli spinach outbreak<\/a> affected 26 states. There were 199 cases. Among those affected, 102 were hospitalized and 31 suffered kidney failure called the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. There were three confirmed deaths after the outbreak.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Spinach-E-coli-outbreak-2006-v2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Spinach-E-coli-outbreak-2006-v2.jpg\" width=\"640\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27673\" \/><\/a><small>Food and Drug Administration took two weeks to find the source (<a href=\"https:\/\/www-01.ibm.com\/events\/wwe\/grp\/grp308.nsf\/vLookupPDFs\/6%20Using%20Blockchain%20for%20Food%20Safe%202\/$file\/6%20Using%20Blockchain%20for%20Food%20Safe%202.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a>)<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n<p>In 2011, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/listeria\/outbreaks\/cantaloupes-jensen-farms\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Listeriosis Cantaloupe outbreak<\/a> affected 28 states. Of the 147 cases, 143 people were hospitalized and the death toll reached a staggering count at 33.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, a new outbreak of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/salmonella\/kiambu-07-17\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Salmonella infections<\/a> has been linked to the imported Maradol Papayas. There were 173 cases in 21 states with 58 people hospitalized. There was a single confirmed death.<\/p>\n<p>This August, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2017\/08\/10\/dutch-egg-scandal-real-number-contaminated-eggs-700000-fsa-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">millions of eggs<\/a> were recalled all over Europe. The eggs tainted with the insecticide Fipronil were imported from the Netherlands to supermarkets across Europe.<\/p>\n<p>These food-borne illnesses happen all over the world. In most cases, it takes authorities days if not weeks to isolate the problem before it can be contained.<\/p>\n<p>Why does it take that long to trace the source? It&#8217;s slow because participants in the food industry supply chain each have their own information silos. Food can only be traced one step at a time.<\/p>\n<p>Blockchain in combination with the Internet of Things (IoT) might just be able to solve this problem.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_blockchain_and_IoT_help\"><\/span>How can blockchain and IoT help?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Rather than going through all the basics, we&#8217;re going to instead highlight two things that blockchain brings to the food retail industry\u2014<em>traceability<\/em> and <em>transparency<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency.jpg\" width=\"640\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27492\" \/><\/a><small>Food traceability and transparency on a blockchain (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MMOF0G_2H0A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a>)<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n<p>According to Walmart&#8217;s Vice President of Food Safety, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/frank-yiannas-3b106015\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Frank Yiannis<\/a>, traceability includes data points, such as farm location, lot number, and harvest date. On the other hand, transparency tells us how food was produced, was it grown organically, were pesticides used?<\/p>\n<p>With blocklchain&#8217;s innate decentralization of information, the need for intermediaries is removed. Tracing one step at a time when tracking food because organizations have separate information silos is eliminated.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;We believe that blockchain has the potential of shining a light on the food system, bearing transparency, and that transparency driving appropriate self-desired behaviors.&#8221;<br \/>\n\u2014Frank Yiannis, Walmart<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>These two aspects of blockchain lead to six improvements to the food industry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"><strong>Improves food safety.<\/strong> By being able to pinpoint tainted food in a matter of moments, prolonged outbreaks can be mitigated.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"><strong>Fresher food.<\/strong> With each step being tracked in blockchain, consumers can see exactly when a food product was harvested.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"><strong>Less food wasted.<\/strong> According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, up to one third of food produced is wasted each year. This is in part due to clean food being thrown away during outbreak scares. Being able to isolate tainted food down to a farm and a batch level can stop this. <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"><strong>Deters food fraud.<\/strong> Each step in the supply chain is visible to everybody. Fraudulent food entering the market\u2014like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk\/2013\/feb\/15\/horsemeat-scandal-the-essential-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the horse meat scandal<\/a> of 2013 in Europe\u2014can be avoided.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"><strong>Promotes responsible food practices.<\/strong> Similar to fraud detection, with each step in the process visible on blockchain, producers will be more likely to adhere to safe practices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Builds consumer trust.<\/strong> Consumers could have the power to scan individual food products and receive information about a food item from the farm it came from, to the grocery store.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Walmart-v3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Walmart-v3.jpg\" width=\"640\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27725\" \/><\/a><small>Blockchain enables tracking food from farm to fork (<a href=\"https:\/\/www-01.ibm.com\/events\/wwe\/grp\/grp308.nsf\/vLookupPDFs\/6%20Using%20Blockchain%20for%20Food%20Safe%202\/$file\/6%20Using%20Blockchain%20for%20Food%20Safe%202.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a>)<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The IoT technology, such as sensors and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/smart-locomotive-manufacturing-material-tracking-with-predix-and-rfid-tags\/\">RFID tags<\/a>, enable real-time data to be written on blockchain as food products pass along the supply chain.<\/p>\n<p>Both technologies serve to help Walmart enforce systems such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.food.gov.uk\/business-guidance\/hazard-analysis-and-critical-control-point-haccp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point<\/a> and comply with food safety regulations and regulators such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements\/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Food Safety Modernization Act<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Food Safety and Inspection Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;If the system can be used to enhance food safety, that&#8217;s value to the U.S. economy. For every 1% reduction in food-born diseases in the United States, that&#8217;s a savings to the U.S. economy of about $700 million.&#8221; \u2014Frank Yiannis, Walmart<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_really_tracked\"><\/span>What&#8217;s really tracked?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In 2016, Walmart, IBM, and Tsinghua University began <a href=\"https:\/\/www-03.ibm.com\/press\/us\/en\/pressrelease\/50816.wss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">collaboration<\/a> on a blockchain pilot that traced pork in China using the IoT sensors along the supply chain. Later, a <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2017\/08\/22\/bitcoin-ethereum-blockchain-cryptocurrency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second blockchain pilot<\/a> was launched, tracing Mexican mangoes in the US.<\/p>\n<p>Developed using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/tag\/hyperledger\/\">Hyperledger<\/a> blockchain technology, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coindesk.com\/markets\/2016\/10\/19\/walmart-blockchain-pilot-aims-to-make-chinas-pork-market-safer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the pilots<\/a> were designed to accurately record the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Farm origin data<\/li>\n<li>Batch number<\/li>\n<li>Factory and processing data<\/li>\n<li>Expiration dates<\/li>\n<li>Storage temperatures<\/li>\n<li>Shipping details<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Though the scale of the projects were limited, there were positive results seen. Frank demonstrated how food tracking that would usually take seven days could be done in 2.2 seconds with blockchain.<\/p>\n<p>Once the blockchain projects scale to include 10 or more nodes, IBM believes it can save the industry &#8220;billions of dollars.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Frank-Yiannas-Walmart.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Frank-Yiannas-Walmart.jpg\" alt=\"Blockchain Retail Food Frank Yiannas Walmart\" width=\"640\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27471\" \/><\/a><small>Frank Yiannas of Walmart (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SV0KXBxSoio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a>)<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;We believe we can do that traceability in minutes, maybe even seconds, not days and not weeks.&#8221; \u2014Frank Yiannis, Walmart<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Walmart also uses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/ibm-aims-to-improve-manufacturing-and-supply-chain-by-coupling-iot-and-blockchain\/\">IBM Watson<\/a> to predict patterns in retail by analyzing policies and variables that influence the supply chain.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to speeding up how food is traced, Walmart can also speed up deliveries by predicting road traffic.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/wei-shen-a068b216\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wei Shen<\/a> of WalmartLabs and <a href=\"https:\/\/researcher.ibm.com\/researcher\/view.php?person=us-lwynter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Laura Wynter<\/a> of IBM Watson Research Center delivered a <a href=\"http:\/\/fusion.isif.org\/proceedings\/fusion12CD\/html\/pdf\/200_418.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper<\/a> that describes a hybrid approach to predicting near-time traffic condition. By gathering and analyzing data from both fixed-located sensors\u2014e.g., inductive loops, roadside radar sensors, and traffic cameras\u2014and GPS devices, logistic agencies can work out proactive traffic operation strategies and provide drivers with more precise travel time estimates. Such an approach has the potential to significantly improve the delivery process.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/walmartlabs-hybrid-approach-to-traffic-prediction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/walmartlabs-hybrid-approach-to-traffic-prediction.png\" alt=\"walmartlabs-hybrid-approach-to-traffic-prediction\" width=\"554\" height=\"386\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27653\" \/><\/a><small>A traffic network in the city of Warsaw, Poland (<a href=\"http:\/\/fusion.isif.org\/proceedings\/fusion12CD\/html\/pdf\/200_418.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a>)<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_food_consortium_adopts_blockchain\"><\/span>The food consortium adopts blockchain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Several other food industry players announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coindesk.com\/markets\/2017\/08\/22\/walmart-kroger-nestle-team-with-ibm-blockchain-to-fight-food-poisoning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expanded blockchain collaboration<\/a> with IBM. Aside from Walmart, these include Dole, Unilever, Golden State Foods, Tyson Foods, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/kroger-integrates-cloud-foundry-on-45000-virtualized-servers\/\">Kroger<\/a>, Nestle, McLane Company, and McCormick and Company.<\/p>\n<p>Using IBM&#8217;s enterprise-grade blockchain platform, the consortium aims to significantly reduce the time it takes to isolate the source in the event of another food-borne outbreak. &#8220;We&#8217;re all in the business of trying to improve the quality of life of people that we serve around the world,&#8221; added Frank.<\/p>\n<p>IBM&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brigid-mcdermott\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brigid McDermott<\/a> explained that the food blockchain initiative could cut down on the three costs that affect the food supply chain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The cost of human health and life<\/li>\n<li>The cost of recalling tainted food<\/li>\n<li>The cost of food wasted due to consumer fears<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;A blockchain food safety program is tremendously good because it provides transparency into the food system, which means that in the event that there is a problem like a recall, you&#8217;re able to quickly, effectively, and surgically deal with that problem.&#8221; \u2014Brigid McDermott, IBM<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Though this post focuses on food safety in the retail industry, the same points also apply to most if not all businesses in retail. Any industry that relies on a supply chain can be made transparent and more efficient with blockchain.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improving_supply_chain_with_machine_learning\"><\/span>Improving supply chain with machine learning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Aside from blockchain, Walmart has also invested heavily in IoT, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/tag\/machine-learning\/\">machine learning<\/a>, and analytics. Up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.com\/en_us\/insights\/articles\/analytics\/how-walmart-makes-data-work-for-its-customers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">240 million customers each week<\/a> shop at Walmart. Whether they shop on the web, on mobile devices, or in the physical stores, these customers generate copious amounts of data for Walmart.<\/p>\n<p>Data points collected by Walmart allow their developers to create applications such as an in-store mobile navigation systems that enable customers to search for items and see exactly where they are located. There&#8217;s also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walmart.com\/cp\/walmart-mobile-app\/1087865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Walmart mobile app<\/a> which sees continued development and currently has features including ordering online and picking up orders at a store, refilling pharmacy prescriptions, and finding which stores have a particular item in stock.<\/p>\n<p>Walmart also has an app that generates e-receipts, eliminating the need for paper receipts. These e-receipts makes it easier for customers to return items and also for Walmart to detect item return fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Seasonal sales are major events for Walmart. During the the Black Friday sale of 2016, Walmart served <a href=\"https:\/\/yourstory.com\/2016\/12\/walmart-labs-bengaluru-black-friday\/amp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">260 million customers worldwide<\/a>. The company dealt with terabytes worth of data to ensure a smooth shopping experience for its customers by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Predicting consumer purchasing behavior by region by looking at historical data<\/li>\n<li>Adjusting store inventory based on regional financial strength<\/li>\n<li>Coordinating with suppliers based on a brand strength<\/li>\n<li>Stress testing the e-commerce platform ahead of the sale<\/li>\n<li>Marking down prices bases on consumer behavior<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With how much Walmart is investing in digital transformation, we may certainly see a time where the emerging technology of blockchain and IoT for food safety merges with machine learning and analytics. Automated recalls of tainted products perhaps? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Want_details_Watch_the_videos\"><\/span>Want details? Watch the videos!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MMOF0G_2H0A?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SV0KXBxSoio?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_reading\"><\/span>Related reading<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/ibm-interconnect-blockchain-to-transform-iot-supply-chains-and-the-world-around-us\/\">IBM: Blockchain to Transform IoT, Supply Chains, and the World Around Us<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/the-internet-of-value-8-top-sectors-being-transformed-by-blockchain\/\">The \u201cInternet of Value\u201d: 8 Top Sectors Being Transformed by Blockchain<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/hyperledger-blockchain-projects-span-financial-services-and-supply-chains\/\">Existing Blockchain Projects Span Financial Services and Supply Chains<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_the_experts\"><\/span>About the experts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div>\n<div style=\"float: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/frank-yiannas-3b106015\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Frank-Yiannas-Walmart-bio.png\" alt=\"Frank Yiannas, Walmart bio\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27495\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 600px;\"><small><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/frank-yiannas-3b106015\/\">Frank Yiannas<\/a> is Vice President of Food Safety at Walmart. He oversees all food safety, as well as other public health functions, for the world&#8217;s largest food retailer, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis. Frank\u2019s scope of responsibilities includes food safety oversight of Walmart\u2019s stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam\u2019s Clubs. Training and education of associates, food safety oversight of thousands of food suppliers, and a number of critical regulatory compliance issues also come under his purview.<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"float: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brigid-mcdermott\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Brigid-McDermott-IBM-bio.png\" alt=\"Brigid McDermott, IBM bio\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27572\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 600px;\"><small><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brigid-mcdermott\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brigid McDermott<\/a> is Vice President of Blockchain Business Development, responsible for driving the growth of Blockchain for IBM, including leading partnerships, alliances, acquisitions, and ecosystem development. She is a senior strategy and sales executive in the technology sector with extensive experience in developing growth initiatives and leading in their execution. Brigid&#8217;s recent focus includes IBM\u2019s future state strategic vision with focus on big data and insights\/analytics.<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p><center><small>The post is written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/author\/carlo\/\">Carlo Gutierrez<\/a>, edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/author\/sophie.turol\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sophie Turol<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/author\/alex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Khizhniak<\/a>.<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tracing one step at a time<\/p>\n<p>Food safety has always been a global concern. According to the World Health Organization, about 420,000 people die each year due to food poisoning.<\/p>\n<p>In the U.S. alone, the total cost caused by food-related concerns\u2014spanning from medical costs to economic loss due to halted productivity\u2014range from [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":46843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[672,815,753,187,810,117,884,978],"class_list":["post-27465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-use-cases","tag-blockchain","tag-digital-transformation","tag-hyperledger","tag-ibm-bluemix","tag-ibm-watson","tag-iot","tag-retail","tag-supply-chain"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork | Altoros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Blockchain and IoT reduces Walmart&#039;s food tracking to seconds. Machine learning and analytics help prepare store inventories ahead of sales.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork | Altoros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tracing one step at a time Food safety has always been a global concern. According to the World Health Organization, about 420,000 people die each year due to food poisoning. In the U.S. alone, the total cost caused by food-related concerns\u2014spanning from medical costs to economic loss due to halted productivity\u2014range from [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Altoros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-08T16:30:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-24T02:00:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carlo Gutierrez\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carlo Gutierrez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/\",\"name\":\"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork | Altoros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-08T16:30:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-24T02:00:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/833e109f77de753b2b472dca0236b442\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif\",\"width\":640,\"height\":360},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Altoros\",\"description\":\"Insight\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/833e109f77de753b2b472dca0236b442\",\"name\":\"Carlo Gutierrez\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CG_portrait-2-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CG_portrait-2-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Carlo Gutierrez\"},\"description\":\"Carlo Gutierrez is a Technical Writer at Altoros. As part of the editorial team, his focus has been on emerging technologies such as Cloud Foundry, Kubernetes, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. Prior to Altoros, he primarily wrote about enterprise and consumer technology. Carlo has over 12 years of experience in the publishing industry. Previously, he served as an Editor for PC World Philippines and Questex Asia, as well as a Designer for Tropa Entertainment.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/author\/carlo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork | Altoros","description":"Blockchain and IoT reduces Walmart's food tracking to seconds. Machine learning and analytics help prepare store inventories ahead of sales.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork | Altoros","og_description":"Tracing one step at a time Food safety has always been a global concern. According to the World Health Organization, about 420,000 people die each year due to food poisoning. In the U.S. alone, the total cost caused by food-related concerns\u2014spanning from medical costs to economic loss due to halted productivity\u2014range from [...]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/","og_site_name":"Altoros","article_published_time":"2017-09-08T16:30:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-24T02:00:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":360,"url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif","type":"image\/gif"}],"author":"Carlo Gutierrez","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carlo Gutierrez","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/","url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/","name":"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork | Altoros","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif","datePublished":"2017-09-08T16:30:23+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-24T02:00:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/833e109f77de753b2b472dca0236b442"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blockchain-Retail-Food-Traceability-Transparency-v5\u043d\u043e\u0432.gif","width":640,"height":360},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/blockchain-at-walmart-tracking-food-from-farm-to-fork\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blockchain at Walmart: Tracking Food from Farm to Fork"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/","name":"Altoros","description":"Insight","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/833e109f77de753b2b472dca0236b442","name":"Carlo Gutierrez","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CG_portrait-2-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CG_portrait-2-96x96.jpg","caption":"Carlo Gutierrez"},"description":"Carlo Gutierrez is a Technical Writer at Altoros. As part of the editorial team, his focus has been on emerging technologies such as Cloud Foundry, Kubernetes, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. Prior to Altoros, he primarily wrote about enterprise and consumer technology. Carlo has over 12 years of experience in the publishing industry. Previously, he served as an Editor for PC World Philippines and Questex Asia, as well as a Designer for Tropa Entertainment.","url":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/author\/carlo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27465"}],"version-history":[{"count":94,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67814,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27465\/revisions\/67814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altoros.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}