Introduction
Transparency and t raceability is a key issue for food products in general, and for aquaculture products in particular . There are various reasons why the importance of traceability is increasing; partly it relates to the internal need for internal documentation and industrial statistics, and partly it is to meet customer and consumer requirements and preferences both in relation to product characteristics (species, ingredients, origin, processes undergone, etc.) and in relation to so-called secondary characteristics (sustainability, emissions, eco-label status, ethics, fair trade, etc.) . Traditionally these characteristics are recorded, stored in relational databases, and transmitted in the chain using some form of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). In recent years building a traceability system on blockchain technology has become a viable alternative, and this paper attempts to highlight the strengths and weaknesses associated with each option, and in particular to evaluate to what degree and under what circumstances a blockchain based traceability system is suitable for the aquaculture industry.
Blockchain-based traceability in the aquaculture industry
This presentation outlines applications, limitations, costs, and benefits related to the use of blockchain technology in the aquaculture industry, and in particular evaluates the pros and cons of having a blockchain-based traceability system compared to a traditional electronic traceability system. The core principles of blockchain technology are outlined, as well as the fundamental requirements and drivers relating to an electronic traceability system . The presentation compare s traditional vs. blockchain-based food traceability systems in terms of database structure, data quality and veracity , immutability, integrity, transparency, confidentiality, trust, robustness, speed , efficiency, and interoperability.
Discussion and conclusion
The overall conclusion is that unless speed of operation or confidentiality are considered to be the most important characteristics of the traceability system, a blockchain-based implementation may be very suitable. The main benefit related to a blockchain-based tr aceability system is that, at least for now, the blockchain-based systems are more homogenous than traditional electronic traceability systems, so interoperability between different blockchain-based systems is likely to be easier to implement than interoperability between different traditional electronic traceability systems. Lack of interoperability is one of —, or probably the biggest current obstacle preventing system-wide, farm-to-fork aquaculture product traceability, so this advantage associated with blockchain-based implementations is significant.
References
Badia-Melis, R., Mishra, P., & Ruiz-García, L. (2015). Food Traceability: New Trends and Recent Advances. A Review. Food Control, 57, 393–401. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.05.005
Bermeo-Almeida, O., M. Cardenas-Rodriguez, T. Samaniego-Cobo , E. Ferruzola -Gómez, R. Cabezas-Cabezas & W. Bazán-Vera (2018). Blockchain in Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review. Springer, Cham, pp 44–56.
Jansen-Vullers , M. H., van Dorp , C. A., & Beulens , A. J. M. (2003). Managing traceability information in manufacture. International Journal of Information Management, 23(5), 395–413. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401203000665
Karlsen, K. M., Dreyer, B., Olsen, P., & Elvevoll, E. O. (2012). Granularity and its role in implementation of seafood traceability. Journal of Food Engineering, 112(1-2), 78–85. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2012.03.025
Kim, H. M., Fox, M. S., & Grüninger, M. (n.d .). An Ontology for Quality Management — Enabling Quality Problem Identification and Tracing. BT Technology Journal, 17(4), 131–140. http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009611528866
Nakamoto, S. (2008) Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Available at: https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-paper [Accessed December 30, 2018].
Olsen, P., Borit, M. & Syed, S. (2019 ). Applications, limitations, costs, and benefits related to the use of blockchain technology in the food industry . Nofima Report 04/2019, available at www.nofima.no
Olsen, P. & Borit, M. (2013). How to define traceability. Trends in Food Science & Technology. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224412002117
Pizzuti , T., Mirabelli, G., Sanz-Bobi , M. A., & Goméz-Gonzaléz, F. (2014). Food Track & Trace ontology for helping the food traceability control. Journal of Food Engineering, 120, 17–30. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2013.07.017
Zheng, Z., S. Xie, H. Dai, X. Chen & H. Wang (2017). An Overview of Blockchain Technology: Architecture, Consensus, and Future Trends. In: 2017 IEEE International Congress on Big Data (BigData Congress). IEEE, pp. 557–564.