UPDATED 10:45 EDT / NOVEMBER 11 2019

BLOCKCHAIN

UPS and HerdX team up on blockchain-tracked beef delivery from US to Japan

Package delivery company United Parcel Service Inc. today announced a partnership with HerdX Inc., agritech data company and distributed ledger blockchain platform, to track beef shipments from the U.S. to Japan.

With support from the United States Embassy in Japan, executives from the two companies ate dinner last Friday at Ruby Jack’s, a steakhouse in Tokyo, with USDA certified Black Angus beef procured from U.S.-based Creekstone Farms, shipped to Japan and tracked using the HerdX blockchain technology.

To do this, UPS used its own Temperature True packaging to ship the beef via air freight from Kanas to Tokyo. This technology contains sensors that monitor and record the temperature during the entire shipment process.

The data was then written to the HerdX blockchain during every step of the journey to ensure that the meat never went above the required safety temperature.

“We’re committed to upholding HerdX’s industry-leading quality assurance and traceability standards for all customers eyeing international growth moving forward,” said Romaine Seguin, UPS president of Global Freight Forwarding.

A blockchain is a widely distributed ledger of connected records that uses cryptography as assurance that historical data in the chain has not been tampered with. Data is only added to the chain once enough nodes, or keepers of copies of the ledger, agree that the protocol has been followed. Once added, the data is immutable.

This makes blockchain technology an excellent mechanism for tracking logistical data because every node can keep a full copy of the entire ledger. That includes the beef producer, the storage company, the global shipping company and the destination distributor. As a result, if at any point a problem is discovered with any shipment of beef, for example contamination, it can be quickly tracked back to its source and all related stock can be recalled and tested.

This technology has been put to use by companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Other retailers in conjunction with the IBM Food Trust network use it for similar purposes. Many foods have been put on blockchain tracking systems in an effort to increase food safety worldwide, including romaine lettuce, pork, shrimp and milk.

Ron Hicks, HerdX’s founder and chief executive, said this partnership follows a recently signed trade deal between the U.S. and Japan that will expand the market between the two countries for farming, industrial and digital products.

“The timing couldn’t be more perfect to work together with both UPS and Japan companies to grow bilateral trade opportunities,” said Hicks. “UPS Logistics and Freight services more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, making it a perfect fit for HerdX. Our official international logistics partnership gives HerdX unprecedented scaling power, which in turn provides incredible expansion opportunities for American cattle producers.”

Photo: Pixabay

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