Consumers in the European Union are able to know from where eggs come. Each single egg is coded with a number that identifies the type of production system, country, province/state, municipality and farm. Although, I think when people buy eggs, with some luck they will hardly identify whether they are cage-free, organic or other. However, it is not a bad idea to provide more information.
With this in mind, the largest Spanish cage-free egg producer, Rujamar, has taken a step forward – inserting blockchain technology in their production process. With a total investment of EUR235,000, the first phase includes medium and large eggs in one production line with 120,000 hens.
The objective is clear: to contribute to food safety and information. The consumer will be informed in real time through a QR code, "the future of the agrifood sector," as Ruben Martínez, CEO, states. The QR code could also help in case of a food alert, to rapidly detect where the suspected batch is located.
The consumer just needs to scan the code with a mobile phone. That is easy. After all, we have this device with us all the time. In no time, they will be able to know where eggs come from, facilities, poultry house, producer, location, the time since egg was laid, who loaded it, storage time, age of hens, photographs and even videos. That’s full transparency. By the end of this year, Rujamar is planning to extend this system to the whole production of 1.2 million birds.
I am sure that this revolution in the Spanish egg market will have a positive impact. I personally find that, more often than I would like, I get eggs that are quite old, with a very liquid consistency. With this system, I would be able to know how long they were stored and maybe intermediaries will try to move eggs in the market much faster.
Codes, data, sensors, robots, IoT, blockchain in foods. Here we go!
What do you think?
