Asia is ripe with food scandals and stories of unsafe food practices. Vietnam in particular, is filled with horror stories of glowing Chinese pork, fake rice, and vegetables drenched in pesticides. Many Vietnamese are very concerned about the origin of their products and the validity of issued certifications.

In December of 2017, researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Saigon found 100% of sampled meat to contain ecoli bacteria. In September of 2015, a Saigon slaughterhouse was caught dying chickens with chemicals and kerosene to give the meat a more appealing color.

This growing distrust in food products is leading to a resurgence of traditional, local, and organic agriculture. Yet in the cities, it’s still quite difficult to know where the food is coming from. Fortunately, a blockchain based solution could greatly aid in increasing consumer trust. TE-Food is a supply-chain management company that utilizes blockchain technology to provide a secure, publicly accessible solution to food tracking. In their blog TE-Food blog explains why a blockchain solution is critical for supply chain management:

“Because the data provided by the registered participants must be unmodifiable. Due to the significant distrust and suspiciousness among consumers, supply chain companies, and authorities, caused by several food frauds and corruption, logistical and food safety data which can be altered can’t provide credibility."

"Because the data in the system is a common property of all participants, farmers, wholesalers, food producers, retailers as well. It must be stored in a common, distributed ledger to provide transparency.
Because the food safety related data all over the world is a property of all us and data accessibility must be public and democratic."

"Because the economic inequality is one of the largest social problems and we need a technology which helps to create a fair access to data, know-how, and income."

"Because corruption is a global economic problem, and the food sector in emerging countries is one of the most affected sectors. Meanwhile, one in ten people will be ill from foodborne diseases, causing the death of 400,000 people each year. For the larger part of the world’s population in developing countries, deadly foodborne diseases are a real threat. Incorruptible food history information leads to transparent food supply chains, which can make a difference in public health, and literally save lives.”

The company focuses on emerging countries due to the high level of food fraud. In comparison to other blockchain projects, TE-Food has already gained quite a foothold in Vietnam. The app is already used to track the origin of pork and eggs in some popular supermarkets, and the list of partners and interested farmers continues to grow.

Sources:

https://medium.com/te-food

https://saigoneer.com/saigon-health/12058-pasteur-institute-tests-find-e-coli-in-100-of-meat-samples-taken-from-saigon,-dong-nai

https://saigoneer.com/saigon-health/5361-video-saigon-slaughterhouse-caught-dying-chickens-with-chemicals