Whole Foods salmon supplier Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett is using blockchain technology to trace and share product information with consumers.
Collaborating with tech giants IBM and Atea, the producer is using the technology to track details such as production location, feed and health of the salmon it farms, and share that information with the supply chain.
"We believe that being able to document a sustainable food chain from start to finish, from the fish being an egg to it in the supermarket refrigerator, will give Kvarøy a significant competitive advantage," Atea's aquaculture manager Trond Henriksen told IntraFish sister publication Tekfisk.
In addition to giving customers more information about the product they are buying, the technology has an advantage for the breeder himself.
"It is about sourcing as much data as possible to go back and use it in future planning and production," said Knutsen.
Food fraud avoidance
Information about each part of the fish's life is gathered into different "blocks" of information. These must be verified and cannot be changed by anyone down the supply chain. The technology also allows for full traceability, which, among other things, avoids food fraud.
"It gives consumers confidence that the food they buy is what it claims to be, that it is produced sustainably and that there is control over all processes along the way. Many consumers are willing to pay extra for it," said Henriksen.
In addition, wholesalers want to know the right fish is in the consignment, that it is packed properly, has the right temperature during transport and is within shelf life.
Not easy
Kvaroy's move into block chain follows customer feedback revealing a demand for more information.
"As we sell to the US and have an agreement with a food chain there [Whole Foods], we get more direct dialogue and feedback on what is important," said Knutsen.
But it's a complex process to bring everything together, said Knutsen and the company will need to work with all its suppliers on automatic data collection processes. This will include Akva for the feed systems, BioMar for the feed and Kvarøy's various smolt suppliers.
"There should be as little punching of numbers as possible," said Knutsen, adding that data would be collected using existing systems.
The challenge is that Kvarøy must then have access to the different systems, and that the data must talk to each other.
"Here's a job to do," said Knutsen.
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