Dutch supermarket chain Plus to use blockchain to track bananas along supply chain

Dutch supermarket chain Plus has announced its plans to leverage blockchain technology for tracking bananas along the supply chain.

PLUS is an important player in the Dutch food market with 260 supermarkets. The PLUS Retail organization comprises the service office in Utrecht, three regional distribution centers in Haaksbergen, Ittervoort and Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, and a national distribution center in Middenbeemster.

In an online post dated April 17, Plus said that it will use blockchain technology to show consumers exactly where the bananas come from and which route they have traveled. It plans to introduce the first Fairtrade and climate-neutral banana from a transparent and traceable chain this fall.

“Together with supplier Fyffes and technology partner Supply Chain Information Management (SIM), PLUS will map the entire chain of its Fair Trade bananas from Colombia. This fall, consumers can gain insight into the whole story and the people behind the bananas they buy at their PLUS supermarket,” it said.

In addition to providing end-to-end traceability, Plus said that it is exploring the possibilities of a Fair Trade and climate neutral banana. It is seeking to reduce the CO2 footprint in banana cultivation which has various environmental challenges.

“At PLUS we stand for Good Food. And Good Food comes from a healthy chain. In 2010 we were the first Dutch supermarket to make the choice to only sell Fair Trade bananas. Bananas have been the most sold item in the supermarket for years. Enough reason to take the next step, because we can make an impact with this,” Eric Leebeek, commercial director of PLUS Retail, said.

[The article has been written using online translation of the press release]