AUSVEG has commenced a Strategic Partnership with FreshChain Systems.

FreshChain, an Australian-owned and operated company, is a fully-integrated, blockchain-enabled, paddock-to-plate assurance system that verifies the food you eat.

FreshChain enables end-to-end food traceability, anti-counterfeit measures and product freshness detection, all designed to support consumers, growers, manufactures and retailers manage their fresh food categories.

FreshChain will enable Australian farmers, growers and brand owners to call out Australia’s clean and green image, world leading farming practises and market directly to consumers in local and export markets with the information they are making buying decisions around.

The front end consumer facing product is easily accessed via any smartphone camera that directs to a web-based uniquely encrypted QR code carrier, which links to a hybrid-blockchain providing real time information at the point of purchase and at home.

FreshChain protects brands in export markets by using FreshChain’s uniquely serialised codes that tracks/locks down codes if suspicious activity is identified through FreshChain’s Ai enabled system. This same system is employed in the event of a product recall/withdrawal that will allow consumers to scan their product to verify that the product is safe to consume or dispose of with the QR updated with other info source to verify i.e. Contact NSW Food Authority. This will ensure consumers are quickly and efficiently assured that issues have been identified, contained and wider industry fallout can be minimised.

FreshChain will help reduce food waste by capturing degraded product (through our cutting edge sensor devices) much earlier in the supply chain which can either be recycled early, donated to charity, sold at reduced prices to cafes or converted into non-fresh products (frozen or juiced).

Growers, brand owners will benefit further from collecting actionable insights through FreshChain’s data collection and machine learning to identify best varieties, growing regions, locations, farming practices that produces better tasting, longer lasting produce.

FreshChain will enhance Australia’s global reputation as a provider of high quality fresh food produce that is safe to eat and can be traced back to its source. It will give export customers confidence that what they are purchasing is authentic and assist growers in achieving premium returns in offshore markets where price is not the sole consideration.

“We spoke to hundreds of growers and brand owners and they were pretty clear about the adoption of any end to end traceability system,” said Greg Calvert. “Make it easy to activate for us and our customers, ensure it works with insights we can action and importantly it must be cost effective with a potential return on investment. We are quietly confident that we have delivered on these fronts” said Greg as he readied for a flight to Bundaberg to onboard another grower.

For more information please click here.