Migros, Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain, has announced the integration of a blockchain-based solution to guarantee food security.
The project of Migros, which is also one of the largest companies in Switzerland, aims to gather as much in-depth information as possible about its supply chain in order to optimise its processes.
Optimisation of the supply chain could lead to faster product distribution and reduced food waste.
The company’s fresh produce suppliers already had the ability to provide traceability data via APIs based on GS1 standards (EPCIS), whereas now the new data gathering method will also feature a mobile B2B app, a web app and the ability to upload files.
In this way, the data is automatically transformed into the EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) format and sent to Migros systems.
However, this solution will only be used internally, as for the moment there are no plans to open it up to consumers.
In fact, while other large-scale retail activities have announced blockchain-based traceability projects aimed at consumers, probably for benefits in terms of marketing and communication in particular, the project of Migros is not aimed directly at end-users, but rather at granting the company greater control over product traceability in order to increase its monitoring and verification capabilities.
From a technical point of view, the tool used will be the TE-FOOD platform, which is considered to be the world’s largest publicly available food traceability solution: Migros’ fruit and vegetable supply chains will use its DLT-based food traceability software.
TE-FOOD serves over 6,000 corporate customers and handles 400,000 business transactions every day.
Migros was founded in 1925 by Gottlieb Duttweiler, and today is Switzerland’s largest private employer with over 100,000 employees.
It is a co-operative company with over two million members and also operates other businesses in addition to supermarkets: restaurants, food manufacturers, petrol stations, convenience stores, bookstores and Switzerland’s fifth-largest bank.
