Group to Battle Counterfeit China Food
A new initiative will seek to combat the rise of counterfeit food in China with blockchain technology.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has teamed with Australian Post, natural health company Blackmores, and professional services firm PwC to track alleged counterfeit food being sold across China.
Counterfeit foods are those sold as brand names, but created using cheaper, substandard and sometimes toxic ingredients. China has battled the problem for some time, with some incidents leading to illness and even death among unwary users of the products.
A well-publicized case brought by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2007 found contaminants in vegetable proteins imported into the country from China and used in pet food, animal feed and fish feed, with some animals later processed into human food. The products were later found to contain the industrial chemical melamine in elevated doses.
In China, the country led a crackdown of 50 factories producing fake branded seasoning with potentially toxic ingredients. Another incident in 2016 had distributors delivering fake Similac and Beingmate milk powder repackaged with substandard formula.
The companies said that the initiative’s goal is to develop a blockchain “Food Trust Framework” to help improve integrity and traceability on its global supply chains.
“We are delighted Alibaba has invited us to create an innovative platform, which will track food from paddock to plate, strengthening the supply chain,” said Australia Post’s parcels executive general manager Bob Black. “The initiative will leverage our secure, reliable and fast service to support the authentication of Australian products bound for the Chinese market. Our food producers have a global reputation for being a clean, green and safe provider of food and we are pleased to help deliver a solution to enhance the integrity of their produce.”
“This initiative with Alibaba Group, PwC and Australia Post will provide even greater confidence for consumers purchasing our products through e-commerce channels,” said Blackmores CEO Christine Holgate. “We look forward to making this process and our supply chain more visible and transparent to our consumers in China as part of this project.”
