Blockchain tracking startup TruTrace Technologies Inc. has partnered with "Big Four" auditing firm Deloitte to track cannabis using blockchain technology. Investing news outlet ProactiveInvestors reported on Sept. 4 that TruTrace is launching its StrainSecure product in partnership with Deloitte. The system employs blockchain technology to track cannabis from seed to sale, in order to guarantee that customers and retailers know the history of the product. TruTrace CEO Robert Galarza said that the new system will bring more transparency to the cannabis industry. The partnership with Deloitte will purportedly help the product reach a wider base of stakeholders since the firm …

Walmart is currently making use of blockchain technology to create a food traceability system based on the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric. Along with IBM, the retail giant has already tested two proof-of-concept projects to examine its envisioned system. The first project deals actively with tracing the origins of the mangoes being sold across Walmart’s stores in the United States, while the other seeks to trace the pork meat being sold via the company’s different Chinese outlets. From an efficiency perspective, the research team at Walmart claims that by making use of this new system, the time needed to trace the …

Australian Securities Exchange-listed firm Security Matters has filed a patent application in the United States for a blockchain system to securely manage the cannabis supply chain. The proposed system could be applied to mark, track and manage the supply chain for cannabis plants, products and cannabis-derived ingredients, ZDNet reported on Sept. 3. Cannabis on the blockchain Security Matters — which publicly trades in Australia but is headquartered in Israel — has indicated that the scope of the patent covers the use of its proprietary chemical solution for “marking” cannabis plants at any stage of their cultivation — even to the …

This week saw twin reports from smart contract startup Simba Chain and blockchain data management firm Constellation, both of whom announced contracts with the United States Air Force. New utility in USAF Judging by these developments, the U.S. Air Force is looking seriously at new tech to shore up supply chains and rearrange data. Simba Chain has reportedly been tasked with prototyping a blockchain approach for the registration and tracking of additive manufacturing — also known as 3D printing — components throughout their lifecycles. Meanwhile, according to the original press release: “Constellation's technology will help securely unlock traditionally siloed and …

Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain and retailer, Migros, is turning to blockchain to keep tabs on its supply chain for food. Migros announced the implementation of TE-Food’s blockchain-based food traceability system, Aug. 29. Whilst many retailers are incorporating such systems to provide transparent information to customers, Migros is looking to the technology to optimize processes and provide greater value. Optimization through deeper supply chain insight According to the announcement, Migros expects the new initiative to provide more benefits than just offering transparency for customers. Rather, the supermarket expects the new platform to deliver value by enabling easier product recalls and improved …

The United States Air Force (USAF) has chosen smart contract startup SIMBA Chain to provide the blockchain which will be used to secure its supply chain. In a news release published on Aug. 26, SIMBA Chain said the technology it develops will be used on the battlefield and at home. USAF hopes blockchain will make its data more tamper-proof SIMBA Chain explained that long value chains are a security issue “especially critical in military applications, where hostile entities would attempt to obtain or modify critical data.” The aim of the project is to coordinate distributed manufacturing on the field with …

Software engineering and IT consulting services firm EPAM Systems Inc. has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) that develops blockchain practices and standards in the transportation, logistics and supply chain industry. According to a press release on Aug. 19, EPAM determined 21 real-world use cases of blockchain tech in industries such as life sciences, transportation, logistics, agriculture, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing and retail, insurance and healthcare. The BiTA will purportedly use EPAM’s software engineering expertise to further improve blockchain development and establish standards. Blockchain hype vs practical applications Commenting on the collaboration, Jitin Agarwal, EPAM's vice president of enterprise …

New Zealand’s Auckland Saving Bank (ASB) has invested in local blockchain startup TradeWindow. The funding, reported Aug. 13, should expedite the launch of the company’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) trade platform. Applying blockchain to the global supply chain TradeWindow CEO, AJ Smith, believes that this link-up represents one of the first times a New Zealand bank has directly invested in a technology company. The company offers a host of solutions aimed at the global trade and supply chain industry. With 12,000 registered exporters in New Zealand alone, Smith says he is excited about the “\major market opportunity this offers. Nigel …

The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates Etihad Airways has partnered with blockchain-based platform for the travel industry Winding Tree to explore how blockchain can aid in distribution. Logistics see greater adoption of blockchain As Reuters reported on Aug. 8, Etihad joined a range of other leading international airlines that already deploy the Winding Tree platform, including Air Canada, Air France-KLM, and Lufthansa. The product is set to reduce transaction costs for customers, as well as enable companies to publish inventory directly to their customers, among other services. Tristan Thomas, director of digital and innovation at Etihad, told Reuters …

Public enterprise blockchain platform VeChain has partnered with Autralian winemaker Penfolds to release a case of blockchain-encrypted wine bottles for sale, as part of its Wine Traceability Platform (WTP) initiative. More specifically, the launch of Penfolds Bin 407 in July marks the beginning of VeChain’s WTP phase 2, per a press release from VeChain on Aug. 6. The bottles from this case are reportedly available at the Waigaoqiao International Alcohol Exhibition & Trading Center, D.I.G.’s Flagship Store and the Sen Lan Shang Du in Pudong New District. As per the press release, each bottle inside Bin 407 comes attached with …

The grocery sector is responsible for nearly half of all Distributed Ledger Technology-based (DLT) supply chain projects. UCL: grocery most active in DLT tracking Research conducted by the University College London centre for blockchain and retail blockchain consortium and published on Aug. 4 shows that the grocery industry has the highest number of DLT-based supply chain tracking projects. Per the report, nearly half of all the projects analyzed operate within the grocery sector, while about 15% respectively operate in the healthcare and fashion industries. Lastly, about 39% operate in other, unspecified areas. Among these, the researchers found many non-sector specific …

London-based bank and financial services firm Standard Chartered has completed its first joint blockchain-based supply chain financing transaction. Standard Chartered announced on Aug. 5 that the institution successfully ran their first joint deep-tier supply chain financing transaction in partnership with China-based supply chain financing service provider Linklogis. The news follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Standard Chartered and Linklogis in February 2019, when the firms agreed to collaborate on expanding the bank’s supply chain visibility, as well as to support sustainable growth of China’s economy and innovation. Linklogis platform is based on blockchain tech from Tencent Specifically, the new …