Blackmores and Fonterra
will start shipping their
products to Chinese consumers
who purchase
them on Alibaba’s Tmall
Global platform, and if successful,
the framework could form the basis
of a global supply chain model applied
across all of Alibaba’s e-commerce
markets. The pilot follows
Alibaba’s announcement last year
that it is engaging PwC in Australia,
New Zealand and China to advise
the company on the framework
setup to protect product authenticity
and provide a safe and trusted
marketplace. Alibaba also signed a
Memorandum of Understanding last
year partnering with Blackmores,
Fonterra and New Zealand Post in
the framework; and hopes that it will
provide confidence to producers,
merchants, logistics providers and
consumers. “Blackmores goes to
extraordinary lengths to have visibility
over our supply chain and each
of our products passes 30 tests and
checks before it is released for sale,”
chief executive Richard Henfrey
says. “So we’re exploring ways to
leverage the technology and data
that can provide our consumers
with assurance that their trust in
our products is well-placed. Our
commitment to quality doesn’t end
in our distribution centre and we
need to give consumers confidence
in the products they purchase
on e-commerce platforms.” The
framework incorporates a range of
standards and controls to manage
the supply chain process, including
blockchain technology and product
tagging with unique QR codes.
These technologies are designed
to authenticate, verify, record and
provide ongoing reporting of the
transfer of ownership and provision
of products and goods. Food
fraud costs the global food industry
an estimated US$40bn each year,
according to research from the
CONVEYOR AND DRIVE SOLUTIONS
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ALIBABA
ENGAGES NZ
COMPANIES
Blackmore’s odourless fish oil and Anchor dairy
products will be the catalyst for a new Alibaba
(Australia) food trust framework that promises to
improve supply chain traceability across the globe.
Michigan State University, and PwC
has also estimated that 40% of food
companies find food fraud difficult
to detect with current methods and
39% think their products are easy
to counterfeit. Fonterra president
Greater China Christina Zhu says
the company delivers global best
practice supply chain traceability
through its existing technology.
“Given the potential of emerging
tech, including blockchain, we want
to be at the forefront of developing
food quality and safety standards
across the supply chain. In China
and many other markets, we know
consumers want to be able to
trace the products they purchase
online, so we welcome being a
part of creating a globally respected
framework that protects the
reputation of food companies and
gives greater value and consumer
confidence.” NZ Post chief executive
David Walsh says the platform
will increase New Zealand’s already
strong reputation of providing
clean, green and safe products in
China. “NZ Post is delighted our
trusted, reliable and visible supply
chain and network has been chosen
to give confidence to Chinese
consumers that they are getting
authenticated and genuine Kiwi
products. Consumers will be able to
track their purchase from paddock
to plate, with full and complete
knowledge of its origin and journey
with us.”
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