FoodLogiQ Announces Blockchain Pilot Alongside Industry Leaders

Blockchain is an emerging technology offering a way for companies to transact with each other and move assets around the world in a secure manner.  What makes blockchain unique is that it is a shared, permanent ledger that records all the transactions in chronological order that cannot be altered or deleted. While this approach holds promise on raising transparency in the food industry, there is much yet to be tested and validated on its real-world application within the food chain.

“Virtually everyone has heard the claim that blockchain will revolutionize business and redefine companies and economies, but it is in its infantile stage within the food supply chain,” says FoodLogiQ Chief Technology Officer Charles Irizarry.  “We are finding that companies are jumping into blockchain pilots without first understanding their business problems. We look forward to working with current and future blockchain pilot partners to help them navigate this complex landscape and collaborate on how blockchain can support their unique business.”

As a pioneer in food traceability, FoodLogiQ is uniquely positioned to spearhead a blockchain pilot. The company was formed out of Clarkston Consulting in 2006 following the implementation of a Canadian cattle traceability program. Founded on this heritage of traceability, FoodLogiQ and its customer solutions grew as it became clear there was a need in the market for end-to-end traceability at food companies. Shaping policy at the national level, FoodLogiQ helped to define the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) standards and was an active technology participant in the FDA’s Pilot Projects for Improving Product Tracing along theFood Supply System.

Leveraging the best technology practices and a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, FoodLogiQ created FoodLogiQ Connect, a cloud-based supplier transparency and traceability solution that unlocks massive value across food company supply chains.  Since that time, FoodLogiQ has captured and tracked more than 10 million traceability events using the state-of-the-art technology platform.

Today’s announcement was officially made at GS1 Connect, the annual conference of GS1 US®, a not-for-profit information standards organization that helps improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards. FoodLogiQ leverages these standards throughout its Connect platform, and data stored by FoodLogiQ’s pilot blockchain will leverage GS1 standards and be formatted for shared communications and data. A qualified GS1 US Solution Partner, FoodLogiQ is also a member of the Foodservice and Retail Grocery Initiatives, with active involvement in shaping these standards through a variety of work groups.

The FoodLogiQ Labs announcement comes on the heels of the company’s $19.5 million financing in March 2018 to accelerate FoodLogiQ’s rapid expansion across the food industry.  The round of financing includes strategic investors Testo, Inc., a global provider of HACCP solutions and IoT technology, and Tyson Ventures, the corporate venture subsidiary of Tyson Foods, along with Pontifax AgTech, a pioneering growth capital investor in food and agriculture technology, Nicola Wealth Management, a Canadian-based asset fund management and private investment counsel firm, and Greenhouse Capital, an investor in emerging businesses that promote health and sustainable living. The round was led by Renewal Funds when the mission-based venture capital firm invested in FoodLogiQ in September 2017.

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