A major global technology company recently shared additional details about the Food Trust, a consortium consisting of 10 of the world's largest companies that are building a blockchain to improve visibility and accountability in the food supply chain. According to recent reports, the Food Trust has recorded over half a million transactions and includes full end-to-end traceability for approximately 200 stock keeping-units (SKUs). The Food Trust reportedly implements GS1 standards to ensure uniformity among all participants. Also according to recent reports, during the third quarter of 2018, the Food Trust plans to announce general availability of the technology and onboard additional companies.

The same major global technology company has partnered with Brooklyn Roasting Co., a roastery in Brooklyn, New York, to use blockchain to track and confirm the authenticity of 150 bags of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans as they move from a co-op in Ethiopia to a Djibouti export warehouse to a port in New Jersey to the Brooklyn roastery. During a recent event, Brooklyn Roastery and its technology partner opened the blockchain ledger to the general public. By scanning the QR code on mugs connected to the blockchain, customers could view their coffee's journey through the supply chain and view documents verifying the coffee's authenticity, including fair trade certificates, packing invoices and delivery receipts.

This week, an Australian multinational bank announced the completion of a successful global trade using its new blockchain platform. The bank partnered with five domestic and international supply chain leaders to track the shipment of 17 tons of almonds from a packer in Victoria, Australia, to end delivery in Hamburg, Germany. The platform – underpinned by blockchain, the "internet of things" and smart contracts – digitizes the operations, documentation and finance areas of global trade. It provides partners with greater transparency and efficiency, allowing them to view and track the location of a shipment along the supply chain, as well as the temperature and humidity of the container, and to upload and access documents such as bills of lading, certificates of origin and customs documentation.

The Sustainable Sugar Project, led by the Queensland Cane Growers Organization, recently received an AU$2.25 million (US$1.7 million) grant from the Australian government for its Smart Cane Best Management Practice initiative. The initiative will use blockchain to track the provenance of sugarcane and allow for proof of provenance and sustainability of the farm producing the sugarcane. Blockchain will also enable farmers who are using sustainable practices to attract a premium for their product.

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