Blockchain-Supported Traceability for Transparent Local Food Supply Chains

Arjun Mehta

Blockchain-Supported Traceability for Transparent Local Food Supply Chains

Author(s)	Dr. Arjun Mehta
Country	United States
Abstract	Local and short food supply chains are increasingly valued for their potential to connect consumers more directly with producers, retain economic value within regional communities, reduce information distance, and communicate the geographic and production identity of food. Their relatively short physical structure, however, does not automatically guarantee transparency. Local foods may still pass through multiple producers, collection centers, processors, storage facilities, distributors, retailers, restaurants, schools, and institutional buyers, creating information gaps concerning origin, production method, quality, handling, certification, batch identity, and movement. Blockchain-supported traceability provides a potential mechanism for addressing these gaps by maintaining tamper-resistant records of defined supply-chain events while allowing authorized participants to share product information across organizational boundaries. This conceptual review examines how blockchain can support transparent local food supply chains without assuming that blockchain alone guarantees truthful information. Recent scholarly evidence was synthesized with particular attention to short supply chains, alternative food networks, consumer information needs, technology adoption, interoperability, QR-based communication, and real-world implementation. The analysis indicates that permissioned or consortium blockchain models are generally more compatible with localized producer networks than unrestricted public-chain architectures because governance, cost, privacy, participant identity, and data access can be controlled more effectively. A recently documented Slovenian short food supply-chain case involving 12 farms illustrates practical integration of blockchain, QR codes, digital identities, delivery records, business information systems, and consumer-facing provenance information.. Effective local-food traceability therefore requires verified identities, standardized data fields, practical validation mechanisms, interoperable information standards, farmer-friendly interfaces, proportionate data governance, and affordable implementation. The study proposes that blockchain should be treated as a supporting trust infrastructure embedded within local food governance rather than as an isolated technological solution. When appropriately designed, such systems can strengthen provenance assurance, consumer communication, recall capability, producer visibility, coordination, and accountability while preserving the relational character that makes local food networks distinctive.
Keywords	Blockchain; food traceability; local food systems; short food supply chains; transparency; provenance; QR codes; digital agriculture; consumer trust; supply-chain governance
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 2, Issue 3, May-June 2021
Published On	2021-05-04

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American Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Innovation and Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Blockchain-Supported Traceability for Transparent Local Food Supply Chains

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