Interconnectivity and the easy exchange of data cannot do without a reliable, yet simple identification of every individual company that has a role in the supply chain
In the near future, data will travel with products. Retailers and brands need fast, cheap, and reliable data. There are several platforms (blockchains, data lakes, ERP systems) that already contain supplier and product related-data. These platforms, however, are not interconnected. Data exchange is limited and complicated. Interconnectivity and the easy exchange of data cannot do without a reliable, yet simple identification of every individual company that has a role in the supply chain. This can be done by using a unique electronic passport connected to every individual facility that is an actor in the chain.

Bing absolutely sure
In order to identify the processes that produce food products, the key challenge is to be absolutely sure about the identities of physical places. Companies won't exchange data, unless they are sure they are connected to the exact facility that is used to produce, process or distribute a product.

If this sounds boring, imagine what it means for fair trade. Once you know for sure where a pineapple or mango comes from, you'll be able to check what happens there to an individual product handled by an individual and that individual. Imagine what it means for animal welfare assurance. As a consumer you'll know from the label on the porkchop you pick up in your local grocery where the pig came from, what it ate and how much, how it lived and whether it suffered from illnesses, or how it was transported and slaughtered.

The Passport should allow for seamless, reliable, and speedy Peer-to-Peer Data Exchange
The Consumer Goods Forum True Code project has asked De Bock-Smit to come up with a solution that offers a convincing answer to 6 challenges:

- Will it add value for supply chain actors if we create a facility passport with a minimum set of data fields that we need from suppliers?
- Will the True-code generation combined with a facility passport make exchange of data between platforms easier?
- Will it add value for supply chain actors if the passport has a public and a private element?
- Can we apply a verification procedure to a passport to allow companies to distinguish the difference between a verified and unverified facility passport?
- Will it add value for supply chain actors if we set a standard for verification of the facility passport?
- Can we generate the True-code and facility passport without cost?



No cheating or short cuts on ecological sustainability, fair trade, and animal and human welfare
ImpactBuying
Marjan de Bock-Smit is the founder of ImpactBuying and founder of SIMSupply. What makes her tick is making impact by offering consumers the products they expect. No cheating or short cuts on ecological sustainability, fair trade, and animal and human welfare. Her means to contribute to a better world are in IT: transparency by interoperability.

The Digital Food conference series originated in a Dutch dock house in 2019. We’re now turning it step-by-step into a global community that meets every two weeks online and regularly in real life on different continents.

Join the Conversation Tuesday February 16
Join us if you want to know what is going on, what is at stake, and what you can do to make the world a better place by sharing value. 

On Tuesday, February 16 Tiffany Tsui (Springtide Strategy) in a 60 minute chat will interview Marjan de Bock-Smit (ImpactBuying), on the True Code, the digital passport a non governmental organisation is planning to issue globally.

Your questions are part of the game. So join us live! In case you can’t make it, we’ll post the video and are happy to take your questions and answer them on demand.

REGISTER HERE.
Upon registration (Free! - the first rounds are on the house) you will receive a link to the ZOOM-chat.