Episode 3: Food Traceability and Blockchain Technology: Revolutionizing Food Security
Explore the benefits, challenges and opportunities traceability provides and how disruptive technologies like blockchain can help to revolutionize our ability to respond to critical food safety and security concerns.
As the world’s population continues to grow at a rapid pace, so must our ability to feed it. To meet this need, companies are seeking new ways to enhance and expand their capabilities to safely produce and distribute food across the globe, making the journey from farm to table more complex than it once was. Although rare, food safety and security concerns do arise, and when they do, time is of the essence as public health and lives are at stake, not to mention the livelihoods of industries, companies, and employees. Because of this, food traceability has become increasingly important.
In this podcast episode, we will explore the benefits, challenges and opportunities traceability provides and how disruptive technologies like blockchain can help to revolutionize our ability to respond to critical food safety and security concerns.
Guests:
Andy Kennedy, Interim Director of IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center
With a focus on technology and food safety, Andy has worked in different technology and product development-based roles including consulting, ramping up a successful data management business, and building an selling unique medical devises. Through these he has developed overall understanding of the supply chain process including product development, sales, operations, financial management and senior management.
Sean Leighton, Vice President of Quality and Food Safety at Cargill
Sean has over 15 years of experience in quality, food safety, and microbiology management, working in the. US, Canada and Europe.
Frank Yiannas, Vice President of Food Safety and Health at Walmart.
As Vice President of Food Safety, Frank Yiannas oversees all food safety, as well as other public health functions, for the world's largest food retailer, Walmart, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis.
Host:
Matt Teegarden, M.S., IFT Student Association Past President 2016-2017, Ph.D. Candidate, The Ohio State University
About the Global Food Traceability Center
IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center was established in 2013 and was designed to serve as an authoritative, scientific and unbiased source for food traceability. The center assists companies to better trace the paths of products through the supply chain to improve food safety, mitigate risk and hopefully avoid devastating health and economic consequences to the food system.