www.foodtechnology.co.nz 55
ACROSS
THE DITCH
A new platform to give Chinese restaurants and
consumers ability to own and trace Australian
cattle, sell or share with family and friends, and
connect with top chefs and nutritionists has been
launched in Australia.
Borderless Cattle Australia has announced its intention
to give Australian cattle producers direct access
to Chinese restaurants and consumers as they build
a marketplace to drive a new beef sharing economy
within China. By becoming a member in Borderless
Cattle, Chinese consumers and restaurants will be
able to own livestock on an Australian cattle station,
monitor its health status and growth, and trace
its movement until the meat is delivered in China,
using a suite of technologies including drones, IoT
and blockchain. Additionally, through a smart TV
platform called Foodsmart.life, members can access
recipes, conduct interactive cooking workshops
with celebrity chefs from around the world, and
connect with nutritionists and health advisors, all
from the comfort of their own home. All sessions
will be supported by a multi-lingual food concierge.
Each of the livestock owned by a member will be
represented by several hundred boxes of ‘virtual
beef’, and a member can use the Foodsmart.life
platform as a business tool to share or sell portions
onto other consumers six to nine months prior to
slaughter. “We are creating an engaging platform for
restaurants and consumers to grow and develop a
beef sharing marketplace,” founder and executive
chairman Dr Wei Siang Yu says. “Members can
invite friends over to their homes to take part in
workshops and even resell part of their beef, driving
social networks and a small business economy,
and creating an unprecedented opportunity for
Australian cattle producers. Certain lifestyle stages
such as pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, parenthood and
chronic disease are driving a new protein boom
in China, along with a desire for healthier and
better-quality food beyond the typical supermarket
experience. Australia’s stringent standards for
cattle production align with this growing need,”
he says. The programme will begin in July, with
deliveries available to more than 300 cities across
China. Initially, Borderless Cattle will accept orders
from restaurants, which will be required to order a
minimum of five cattle, and the company anticipates
having 500 restaurants or corporate members in its
first year. Partner and head of Agtech at KPMG and
Food Agility CRC director Ben van Delden says new
digitised supply chains are emerging that favour premium
producers who can authenticate provenance,
stewardship and quality from the farm right through
to the consumer’s table. “Disruptive models, such
as what Borderless Cattle are creating, present new
funding solutions for premium quality livestock destined
for discerning Chinese consumers. Bringing
the consumer transaction forward to the first phase
of the supply chain, and using Agtech to validate
trust, elevates the relationship end consumers have
with their protein source. It also addresses a major
liquidity challenge for Australian beef producers as
the consumer funds the grower from the beginning
of the beef production cycle.” Borderless Healthcare
Group is a global leader in healthcare technology,
media, telecommunication, service and content,
managing more than US$100 million worth of intellectual
assets and innovations via its ecosystem of
subsidiaries from Smart Health, Smart Aging, Smart
Home to Smart Farm. The company also owns a
pre-pregnancy planning division, which produces
China’s most popular fertility reality TV show Fertility
UFO Show. The show has garnered more than 30
million views via social media platform Weibo since
it launched in January this year. More than 90 million
couples are eligible for a second child, presenting a
significant marketplace as couples adopt healthier
lifestyles in the hope of conceiving.
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
