Late last week, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) revealed a blockchain proof-of-concept with consulting company Version 1 that helps Irish farmers more efficiently and sustainably breed cattle. The ICBF already manages one of the world's largest integrated animal databases, and it plans to bring in other stakeholders along the supply chain – such as supermarkets, retailers and consumers – to gather even more data. By combining the results of consumer feedback upon scanning a steak's QR code all the way back to genetic data about the animal, the ICBF aims to unlock valuable information about beef. In another supply chain endeavor, tech startup Farmer Connect and heavy hitters in the coffee industry are leveraging a major technology firm's Food Trust Platform to build an app that provides caffeinators with detailed data about coffee beans. In addition, this week one of South America's leading cannabis production companies, Uruguay Can, teamed up with æternity, the entity behind the open source æternity blockchain, to create a supply chain management platform for the cannabis trade.
According to reports, blockchain startup Everledger, known for its early work using blockchain technology to track diamonds, closed a $20 million Series A round. A Chinese multinational investment holding conglomerate led the round, with a multinational financial services corporation and Japanese e-commerce company also participating.
Blockchain ... and nanotechnology? A leading U.S. nonmaterial and cadmium-free quantum dot producer recently announced it will deploy these two technologies in an anti-counterfeiting initiative. Quantum dots, which are lab-designed atomic crystals that can be tuned to emit unique color signatures, can be incorporated into physical products in a tamper-resistant way and scanned with a device. The scanned information can then be stored on the QDX" Ledger blockchain to log, track and verify the authenticity of physical goods.
Blockchain is also being used to prove authenticity in the academic sphere. Late last week, the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland launched a blockchain pilot that aims to provide employers with a better way to verify whether diplomas are authentic. According to reports, there are 200,000 fake diplomas in the U.S. alone.
For more information, please refer to the following links:
- Oracle OpenWorld 2019 – Irish Cattle moo-ves blockchain conversation along with meaty trial
- Coffee Industry Taps IBM Blockchain Solution to Track Supply Chain
- æternity Partners with Uruguay Can to Track Cannabis Production on the Blockchain
- Fidelity, Tencent, Rakuten Back $20 Million Round for UK Blockchain Provenance Firm
- Quantum Materials Corp Announces Anti-Counterfeit Focus with QDX" Ledger Blockchain Platform
- UNIVERSITY OF ST. GALLEN FIGHTS FAKE DIPLOMAS WITH BLOCKCHAIN
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