US Food And Drug Administration Considers Blockchain For Security

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) apparently wants to use blockchain for food security. As the latest blockchain news show, the goal of smarter food security is on the table for the major agency, which released a blueprint and a pilot study for food safety.

In it, the FDA highlighted blockchain technology, accenting that it is a viable option for some of the identified challenges facing food distribution throughout the country. It also looks at how smart technologies could solve them, reading:

“Our world is evolving at a breakneck pace. With this evolution comes new technologies, ranging from new digital tools to new sources of food ingredients. […] These advances provide new tools and approaches for tackling food safety issues, but also present new issues to consider in determining how to regulate food safety.”

The US Food and Drug Administration talked about the technologies it wants to tap into, mentioning artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), sensor technologies as well as blockchain. They also looked at in relation to four topics including tech-enabled traceability, modernization of the retail space, food safety culture as well as prevention and outbreak response.

The cryptonews now show that blockchain technology is mentioned specifically in relation to receiving all the “critical tracking events and key data elements from industry and regulatory partners.”

What we can also see is that the FDA has been talking about blockchain and its massive potential over the last two years. In June, the Food and Drug Administration and its Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Food Policy and Response Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas jointly noted that the devastating impact COVID-19 brought on the food supply chain makes blockchain one of the technologies that can track and trace products through it.

Meanwhile, related reports in the blockchain news showed that IBM brought the technology to the agriculture and shipping industry with their FoodTrust program that was launched in conjunction with Walmart. The blockchain in this case, records food product information and certification, reducing all the pain points such as certification storage and product recalls.

If the US FDA approves and moves forward with blockchain technology, we could be seeing a lot of exciting updates in the news.