New platform aims to create unprecedented visibility from farmer to consumer through the use of blockchain data sharing.
Paramount Software Solutions has announced their new product, Farm to Plate, a blockchain platform designed for the food supply industry that will enhance and extend data sharing transparency from the point of origin to the consumer. Farm to Plate offers a one-of-a-kind solution created to elevate supply chain resistance and support food safety compliance, ultimately strengthening brand trust.
Until now, trace and track systems for the food industry have disclosed information beginning at the distributors who package products to travel to, or from within, the U.S. The Farm to Plate platform extends that model back further, beginning with the farmer, to create a completely transparent view of the entire supply chain.
“Activities in the physical world are well defined, like farming. To this point, digital food supply chain documentation has not included that primary origin stage,” says Saptarshi Choudhury, Director of Emerging Technology at Farm to Plate. “Farm to Plate converts those elements into trackable digital data, creating traceability going all the way back to the farmer. Ours is a grassroots level approach that is missing in other solutions.”
A recent study on the impact of Covid-19 on the U.S. food supply chain showed that between March 2019 and March 2020, U.S. consumer food spending shifted dramatically. Consumer needs for groceries shot up 56.5% of the overall spend to 72.6%, while closures of restaurants and other foodservice businesses dropped food service spending from 57.8% to 42.2%. Logistical bottlenecks followed as orders kept moving from farmers through to processors, unable to react to the sudden shift.
Choudhury says food recalls are another cause of major supply chain disruption, affecting both functionality and brand trust.
“In addition to the logistical ramifications of a product being pulled off the shelves, there is a hit to consumer confidence,” says Choudhury. “Farm to Plate enables a flexible, responsive solution to the logistical challenges of a recall, and transparency available to consumers who want to know where their food is coming from.”
Farm to Plate’s module design has begun with track and trace, which is scheduled to go live in September 2021. From there, the company plans to add trade, transport, and other modules one at a time, adjusting each to work in conjunction with the full end-to-end solution from farmer to consumer. Modules can be used in conjunction with one another or individually as a microservice. Preliminary food demographics include meat, cheese, and produce, with a geographic focus on the U.S., Mexico and Canada. For more information, visit here.
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