VeChain, DNV GL and Norway in a Box Collaboration

Guaranteeing the safety of imported foods into China has been a major challenge, even in the digital age. Like with many products, validating and verifying the origin is complex using previously existing technology. For a product to have true traceability, the answer has come in the form of blockchain technology, enabling immutability of data and transparency in the supply chain with data collection assured by third-parties.

It was once a complex challenge to ensure that government mandated guidelines for safety and efficiency were met. Three companies have now banded together to bring fresh food to the people of China from Norway, including VeChain, DNV GL, one of the largest business assurance companies in the world, and Norway In a Box, an aggregator and exporter of superior Norwegian products.

DNV GL’s app My Story™ launched via the VeChainThor Blockchain platform in January of 2018 as a digital assurance solution for food and beverages. The partnership between DNV GL and VeChain allows brands to share the life of their products, allowing consumers to see a product’s origination and lifecycle transparently.

By using this VeChainThor Blockchain powered platform from VeChain, consumers can scan a QR code attached to a product and experience that products story. With the VeChainThor Blockchain, each product has its own unique ID. Top Italian wine producers were the first to implement and use this new and unique innovation. The My Story™ implementation within the respective industries continues to take on new hardware, software, business processes, and safety measures as its users, brands, and suppliers adopt and become educated on blockchain technology as applied to their specialization.

In November 2018, Bright Code, a localized version of My Story™ alongside Bright Foods, was introduced at CIIE. Bright Code utilizes the technology provided by VeChain to build a consumer confidence index. In April 2019, a batch of milk products produced by Bright Foods will be the first of many batches of products to be launched on Bright Code.

So, why blockchain? With blockchain, verifiable facts related to the product are registered throughout its entire history. When those moments are captured on a public blockchain, it offers a ledger that cannot be changed. There are multiple points of information that can be captured in the product’s story, including product quality, authenticity, origin, workers’ rights, animal welfare, and ecological footprint. Furthermore, DNV GL audits product information, processes, and activities to validate the data capturing process.

With this remarkable tool available, DNV GL and VeChain have teamed together to build a product that would answer the growing needs to import foods with transparency, not only into China, but across the world, with the unique ability to trace its every step, starting from its origin.

With the technology built and the processes defined, the next step in the product’s creation is to find sourcing partners that are equally committed to transparency. In this venture, VeChain and DNV GL have partnered with Norway in a Box, which is a cutting-edge supplier of Norwegian foods to the rest of the world. Norway in a Box focuses primarily on sealing fresh food and preserving safety meeting the high expectations for their customers. They only sell products that have been caught, produced, packaged, and sealed in Norway.

In the first release of My Story™, the three companies will work on primarily importing Norwegian salmon, among other seafood. Products will be shipped from Norway to China, then they will be available directly through restaurants, as well as through the online shopping platform built by Norway In a Box. Every product using My Story™ will have a blockchain entry marking each step in its journey from the moment the fish was caught all the way to the moment it was packaged. The solution will continue to evolve, adding new features, transparency steps, and products as it scales.

With a simple scan, buyers and consumers will be assured of the product’s freshness by Norway in a Box, validated by DNV GL. This collaboration in product transparency is a new approach to battling food safety issues in China.

Take a tour of Norway in a Box’s product page to see what other foods can be sourced.

This VeChainThor Blockchain application is just one more way in which blockchain technology is able to solve real-life problems in modern supply chains. Whether it is fresh foods or wine, every product has a story to tell. Now every consumer can feel confident that these goods are fresh and safe with the VeChainThor Blockchain.

###