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Walmart, Sam's Club Start Mandating Suppliers Use IBM Blockchain
- More than 100 will have to employ IBM’s blockchain service
- Goal is to improve food safety, response times with recalls
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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After several years of tests, Walmart Inc. is ready to mandate use of blockchain technology by a swath of its U.S. suppliers, marking one of its biggest commercial uses.
Starting in September 2019, Walmart and its Sam’s Club division will require suppliers of fresh, leafy greens to implement real-time, end-to-end traceability of products back to the farm using a digital ledger developed by International Business Machines Corp. The world’s largest retailer plans similar mandates for other fresh fruit and vegetable providers within the next year, according to Frank Yiannas, vice president of food safety.