Bumble Bee Foods uses blockchain to improve transparency of tuna production chain

North American food company Bumble Bee Foods is improving the transparency of the yellowfin-tuna production chain with the help of SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain. The company is using the SAP technology to give consumers greater insight into how the fish is processed, ‘from ocean to table’. This is one way in which the company is responding to the demand for more transparency in the food chain.

Tuna buyers can use their smartphone to scan a QR code on the tuna packaging to gain insight into the fish’s journey from the Indonesian Ocean onto retail shelves. Bumble Bee Foods offers openness about the size of the catch, the point of capture and the fishing community that caught it. The manufacturer also provides information about the authenticity, freshness, safety, fair trade fishing certificate and sustainability of the catch in question. Blockchain technology enables companies such as Bumble Bee Foods to create a tamper-proof supply chain history.

“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,” comments Tony Costa, Chief Information Officer at Bumble Bee Foods. “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.”

Revolution in the food industry

“This solution is an example of how blockchains can be used to revolutionize the future of food,” says Oliver Betz, Global Head and Senior Vice President of SAP Innovative Business Solutions, part of SAP Digital Business Services. “It creates transparency and traceability across the food supply chain, from the ocean, across the cold chain, to the warehouse, store and our table. When we help enterprises like Bumble Bee to make innovation real, we support the consumer’s need to know and reinforce their faith in the brands they trust.”