Nothing fishy about new blockchain initiative

North American seafood company Bumble Bee Foods has announced it is using blockchain to trace the journey of yellowfin tuna from sea to dinner table, amid greater consumer demand for transparency surrounding sustainability sourced food.  

Using the SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain Service, Bumble Bee Foods’ customers will be able to track the complete origin and history of its yellowfin tuna by using their smartphones to scan a QR code located on the packaging.

Bumble Bee Foods said the blockchain technology will give instant access to information about the fish-to-market journey, including the size of the fish, point of capture, the fishing community that caught it as well as be able to verify authenticity, freshness, safety, fair trade fishing certification and sustainability.

“With SAP, we have the ability to track fish the moment it’s caught and as it travels around the world, telling the story of each tuna while positively impacting ecosystems and the lives of the people all the way down the line,” Bumble Bee Foods chief information officer Tony Costa said.

“Bumble Bee has long been an industry leader in tracing its seafood products, and the addition of SAP’s blockchain technology allows us to further elevate our efforts in complete transparency with consumers and customers, providing assurance that their fish is fresh and it’s been sourced fairly according to our commitments to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation.”

Bumble Bee Foods made the announcement at the recent SXSW conference held in Austin, Texas.