Tracking perishable foods in the supply chain using chain of things technology

Area of Science:

• Supply Chain Management
• Food Science and Technology
• Information Technology

Background:

• Modern food supply chains face complexity and disruption risks.
• Digitalization and Blockchain Technology (BCT) offer potential but face challenges in perishable food supply chains (PFSC).
• Existing BCT applications in PFSC are hindered by privacy, security, scalability, and standardization issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an integrated system for enhanced traceability in perishable food supply chains.
• To address the limitations of current Blockchain Technology (BCT) applications in food logistics.
• To leverage the Internet of Things (IoT) and BCT for improved supply chain transparency and security.

Main Methods:

• Development of a Chain of Things (CoT)-based Track and Trace System (CoT-TTS).
• Integration of IoT devices, Blockchain Technology (BCT), and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS).
• Evaluation of CoT-TTS performance using a case study on the EOSIO platform.

Main Results:

• The proposed CoT-TTS system demonstrates improved traceability performance.
• Effectiveness was evaluated based on transaction depth, breadth, access, and precision.
• The integration of IoT and BCT (CoT) enhances the capabilities of supply chain tracking.

Conclusions:

• The CoT-TTS offers a viable solution for enhancing traceability in perishable food supply chains.
• Integrating IoT with BCT effectively overcomes some of the inherent limitations of BCT alone.
• The system shows promise for improving transparency, security, and efficiency in food logistics.